


New Seed

by klepto_maniac0



Series: Seed Universe [1]
Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Completed, F/M, Finished, Gen, genre change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-31
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-03-09 19:43:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 135,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3262109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klepto_maniac0/pseuds/klepto_maniac0
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An accidental start to something not so innocent. How far can a relationship run on pure lust before it turns into something else? Set in a time when things haven't gone downhill yet. </p><p>COMPLETED</p><p>followed by: Cracked Seed</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, I can't believe it  
> I've never been this far away from home

/\/\/\/\/\

31 January 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

Song suggestion: "Oh My God" by Mark Ronson ft. Lily Allen

/\/\/\/\/\

 

Seifer wasn't the sort to blaze through his tests, but one week he was finishing a quiz early and happened to glance up at the front of the desk. To his surprise, Instructor Trepe seemed to be looking at him, or more accurately spacing out in his direction.

 

Because there was no reason why she'd be looking at _him_ with glazed-over eyes, the end of a pencil between her lips, idly swirling her tongue around the eraser in a distinctly erotic way.

 

Seifer froze. He had been about to stretch, but seeing Instructor Trepe obviously in the middle of some fantasy made him feel incredibly awkward and he did not want to draw any attention to himself. Not moving a muscle, he glanced from side to side to see if anyone else had noticed what was going on. Nobody was moving. Everyone was concentrating on their consoles, pushing buttons or typing short answers depending on where they were. Seifer glanced at Instructor Trepe again and this time tracked her line of sight. As he'd thought, she wasn't looking at him, but rather at Squall Leonhart.

 

“ _Well isn't that interesting,”_ thought Seifer with a silent laugh. He rolled his shoulders instead of stretching and went back to his test, which was suddenly much harder to concentrate on. About four more questions in, Seifer glanced up at Instructor Trepe and noticed that she seemed to be leaning down in her chair and her non-pencil-holding hand was nowhere to be seen.

 

“ _No. Fucking. Way.”_

 

She was still spacing out and looking directly at Squall Leonhart, and Seifer started to sweat as he became more convinced that Quistis was secretly the biggest freak he had ever encountered. He could see her imagining herself on her knees, fingering herself while she blew Squall's immature mind. She probably thought it was hotter to leave the clothes on too. Seifer shifted in his seat as he wondered if Squall had any idea that one of the most beautiful women in the Garden wanted to suck him off? Because there was no question in Seifer's mind that Quistis Trepe was at least in the top ten—no, top FIVE—no matter how annoying she was as an Instructor. Jumped-up bitch was only two months older than he was and already a full SeeD? Life was not fair.

 

“ _Fuck,”_ thought Seifer as his display flashed, showing that there were five minutes left in the exam. At once the room came alive with clicking and rustling as people frantically tried to cram in their last, best answers. Seifer was mostly done except for a few multiple choice questions, so he guessed on all of those, tidied up his short answers, and hit 'submit' with twenty-two seconds to spare. When he sighed in relief and looked up, however, he was alone in the room except for Instructor Trepe.

 

“Fuck,” he swore, this time aloud.

 

“There's nothing wrong with finishing a test last,” she told him reasonably, the kindest she'd spoken to him in months. “As long as you finish it well.”

 

“I think I did pretty good,” he said with a grin. As he gathered his bag, he said, “The students have been behaving themselves, so there's not much for me to do.”

 

She nodded politely. “Then spend your time well, Seifer.”

 

He nodded just as politely at the dismissal and left, a spring in his step and a grin nearly splitting his face. He sought out Fujin and Raijin immediately and mindful of the Instructor's reputation, took them on a 'walk' to the secret area, which at this time of day was deserted. And then he told them.

 

“IMPOSSIBLE!” Fujin gasped, her face turning bright red. Raijin hooted and hollered. Seifer threw back his head and laughed.

 

“I know!” He exclaimed happily. “Can you fucking believe it?”

 

“No,” said Raijin, chortling. “She's always been such a bi—ice queen,” he corrected quickly as Fujin glared at him; she had strong feelings about the B-word and other gendered slurs, which was why Seifer and Raijin didn't use them.

 

“MISTAKE,” said Fujin, folding her arms. “MUST BE.”

 

“Well she sure as hell wasn't looking at me,” said Seifer, which made Raijin laugh again. Fujin cocked her head.

 

“WHY NOT?”

 

“Because she hates me?” Seifer laughed and shook his head, saying, “I know I'm dead sexy and all, but I'm pretty sure I'd know if she liked me _that way.”_

 

“NOT ALWAYS.”

 

“An' she doesn't hate you,” said Raijin thoughtfully, making Seifer look at him. “She's just disappointed in you an awful lot.”

 

“Thanks,” said Seifer flatly, though it sailed over Raijin's head. “Though we'll see what she says about this last test. I think I nailed it.”

 

/\/\/\

 

“What do you mean, I _failed?”_ Seifer asked in a voice trembling with shock.

 

He found himself in the Headmaster's office with Cid, Xu, and Quistis. Cid looked apologetic like he always did during cases of academic misconduct; Seifer had been at his side plenty of times whenever he had to deal with a disciplinary case, and Cid being such a cream puff meant that Seifer often had to play the hard guy. Obviously that was Xu's role today, not that she didn't enjoy it; she was actively smirking at him, the bitch. She had always hated him for some reason. So Seifer looked at Quistis, who had her arms tightly folded and her lips pressed to a thin, disapproving line.

 

“Seifer, all your responses were identical to another student's,” said Quistis, her voice low.

 

“So I failed because you _think_ I cheated?” Seifer fought to keep his voice under control, but it was nearly impossible with Xu the Bitch smirking at him, Quistis looking at him like he was something on her shoe, and Cid standing there doing nothing. “I'm the Head of the Disciplinary Committee! I chase people down for this shit every day! Why would I do it?”

 

“Because your grades are awful,” said Xu, making him glare at her. “It's not hard to imagine you getting desperate. Failing this written exam means you don't get to the take the SeeD field exam...again.”

 

Seifer gritted his teeth and looked at Cid. “Tell them!” He demanded of the man, who looked away. “Headmaster, you know I wouldn't do this!”

 

“I agree,” said Quistis, making Seifer look at her suddenly. Though she looked at him, her comment seemed directed more at Xu when she said, “Seifer is too proud to cheat. And the consoles have been known to trade answers before. Are you willing to take a retest, Seifer?”

 

“Yes! Let's do it now!” Better to do it when the material was still fresh in his head.

 

“Good,” said Quistis, straightening her glasses. “The tests are on paper this time and I'll grade them myself. If you'll follow me to the classroom.”

 

Seifer followed, trailed by Xu and Cid. As they walked to the classroom, Seifer fumed and swore at Quistis in his head. Giving him a retest instead of trusting him, who did she think she was? She'd probably fucked up his grades herself when she was thinking about banging Squall Leonhart instead of keeping her eye on her work! And naturally he was suffering. Seifer mentally added another checkmark to “reasons to kick the shit out of Squall” list.

 

There was another student there when Seifer came into the classroom and he experienced another surge of irritation that _he'd_ been the one called up instead of this dumbass nobody. But wasn't that the life, nobody liked him or trusted him, so despite being head of the Disciplinary Committee and making sure the Garden ran nice and smooth in the halls, Seifer was the one hauled up on his ear.

 

He was so worked up by his half-imagined persecution that Seifer almost didn't see the way the student paled at the sight of them, though the boy sliding out of his console and falling to his knees definitely got his attention.

 

“I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!” The student wailed immediately, bowing frantically to the four of them. Seifer glanced back to look at Cid and Xu, who seemed stunned. “I didn't know I was stealing _his_ answers, I'm so sorry, don't expel me!”

 

“...Well,” said Quistis, looking back at Seifer. To his surprise, there was a smile on her usually cool face. “I guess that's that.”

 

“I guess it is,” said Seifer, cracking his knuckles. The student dropped into a kowtow and held it, trembling. “On your feet, you idiot. Don't be disgusting when you make a mistake. Apologize to the Instructor and the Headmasters for wasting their time.”

 

“Now, now, that's not necessary,” said Cid, gratefully stepping into a role he was more comfortable with. To the student, he said, “Come up to my office and we'll talk about this. Seifer, I trust you'll be discreet?”

 

“Always, Headmaster,” said Seifer with a nod. He didn't _want_ to be, but Cid didn't ask many things of him. Xu looked vaguely disappointed as she left with Cid, leaving Seifer alone with Quistis in the classroom.

 

“So,” he said to her. “I'm too proud to cheat?”

 

“I think so,” said Quistis, folding her arms. “You always do things the hard way... But your own way and nobody else's. When I saw your name on the identical tests, I thought there had to be a mistake with the consoles. But then I talked to Xu and she got carried away—”

 

“—because she hates me.”

 

“—because that's how she is,” said Quistis with a frown. “And that's how it all blew up. I'm sorry you went through that.”

 

Seifer exhaled forcefully, but this grievance was too fresh to let go of. “Why didn't you just talk to me first?” He asked.

 

“I...” Quistis hugged her arm and glanced off to the side, saying, “I didn't want to put you on the spot in case I was wrong.”

 

“So hauling me up was better?”

 

“No.” She sighed irritably and looked at him. “My intention was to match the grades against your usual testing average and compare them to the other student's testing average. Statistically, this would prove whose test answers were most likely the original since students tend to score about fifteen percent above or below their average.”

 

“Wow,” said Seifer, leaning back a bit. “All that math just so you don't have to talk to me, huh?”

 

“Math doesn't lie.”

 

“You think I'd lie?”

 

Seifer half-expected Quistis to deny such a thing, but to his surprise he saw a hard glint come into her blue eyes.

 

“Everybody lies,” she said in a voice that sent a little shiver down his spine. In a more normal voice she said, “Anyway, it all worked out. Have a pleasant rest of the day.”

 

“What about you?” He asked her, making her look at him strangely. “What are you doing for the rest of the day?”

 

“I...don't see how that's any of your business, Seifer.”

 

Seifer opened his mouth, but no words came out. In fact, the longer he stood there, staring at Quistis with his mouth slightly agape, the more Seifer realized that he had no idea of what to say or even why he'd asked her about her schedule.

 

“You're right,” he said, shaking his head. “It's not. Sorry.”

 

Quistis looked at him for a moment and to Seifer's surprise, patted him on the shoulder. “Maybe you should take a rest,” she told him. Again that rare smile graced her face as she said, “And you did very well, by the way. A perfect score. See you in the field exam.”

 

“Alright,” said Seifer, now grinning broadly.

 

That night Seifer lay awake in bed, arms pillowing his head, and wondered what the hell he'd been thinking. Alright, so he wasn't exactly 100% when it came to telling if girls liked him, but he knew sure as shit if _he_ liked one of _them_ and he did not like Quistis Trepe in that way. Nope. She was stone cold, strict as hell, and if he wanted to get crass with it, she was not curvy enough for his liking. Most SeeD women weren't, a consequence of kicking ass for a living.

 

Still... He thought of the way she'd played with that pencil eraser, completely unaware that he'd seen her, and felt a surge of sensation below the belt.

 

“ _I bet she was thinking about cake,”_ he thought, nevertheless reaching down to undo his belt. _“Or ice cream. It's been hot. She probably wanted to get a popsicle from the cafeteria...”_

 

On the one hand Seifer could not believe that he was about to jerk off to the thought of Instructor Quistis Trepe eating a fucking popsicle, but it felt less creepy than imagining those pillowy lips closed around his cock, that point of pink tongue tracing every detail and flicking up against the most sensitive spots, those blue eyes looking up at him over the frame of her slim silver glasses...

 

The sudden banging on his door made Seifer sit up with murder in his heart and he rapidly readjusted himself with a curse, shouting “WHAT?!” at the door.

 

“What yourself!” boomed Raijin, making Seifer roll his eyes and curse. “Come on, why are you in bed already?”

 

“It's night and I'm tired!”

 

“You aren't even a liiiiittle interested in kicking some stoners in the secret area? Fujin's got 'em pinned down.”

 

Seifer did perk up at that. There had been an uptick in recreational drug use at the Garden and they'd been looking for a supplier for weeks.

 

“Okay, you got me,” said Seifer, rolling out of bed. “Let's go take some names.”

 

Raijin laughed on the other side of the door.

 

/\/\/\

 

Quistis had most decidedly not been thinking about cake that day.

 

She was single by choice since there were very few men in the Garden, older or otherwise, who could keep up with her intellectually and also appreciate her humor. Nevertheless she daydreamed about romance and other, more heated things. Her secret shame was that she read erotica on the Net and had recently begun to post some of her own creations under a nom de plume. To her surprise, people on the other side of the screen actually seemed to like what she wrote. And when she started drawing, oof. She had actually examined her contract when people began offering her money to draw things for them and amazingly, there was nothing in her Instructor contract that said she wasn't allowed to have an 18+ side business.

 

It was exciting and arousing, but it also meant she had to get creative. Rapidly Quistis decided that she'd rather set the price on her original works rather than obey random desires (some of which were _very_ strange to her; why did so many people enjoy the idea of being eaten so much?), so she began releasing pinups about her own erotic imaginings, changing hair colors and body types so nobody looking at her work would ever imagine that _Quistis Trepe_ was the one drawing all the smut.

 

And the money just flowed in, which was nice too.

 

Then one day Quistis was approached by a respected website that specialized in female-driven erotica and was offered a sizable amount for creating a short story for an anthology. Quistis checked with several of her online, erotica-creating friends and decided to go for it, though it did require less sleep and a certain amount of creativity when it came to things like storytelling and art direction.

 

And then there was the problem of what to actually draw.

 

When there was no pressure, she could draw anything. But when there was, her mind seemed to dry up. Quistis went back to files of ideas she'd compiled, but nothing leapt at her enough to inspire her. It wasn't until the test administration that she suddenly got a seed of an idea, just almost casually noticing how much space there was underneath her desk.

 

The students were busy taking their tests, so Quistis chewed on her pencil as she glanced stealthily around to make sure everyone was occupied. Satisfied, she pressed the height adjuster on her chair and slid down a little as the seat eased down with an audible hiss of hydraulics. She measured the space by sticking her legs out and touching her heels to the solid front of the desk. It was very spacious down here. Easily large enough to hide someone doing something they shouldn't.

 

As she slid down, her skirt rode up a little bit and inspiration struck as Quistis realized she'd encountered plenty of _male_ teacher crush creations, but very few well-done _female_ ones that were more than male wish fulfillment. She started to grin a little bit and plan out her scenario, imagining some handsome student hiding underneath _her_ desk, doing what she wanted... Ooh. Quistis sat up and put on an attentive face as students finished their tests and left, but her mind was already whirling with possibilities. She tried not to be impatient as the last few stragglers turned their work in. Surprisingly, Seifer stayed until the very end. It wasn't like him to have trouble with tests.

 

“Fuck,” he swore as he lifted his head and looked around.

 

“There's nothing wrong with finishing a test last,” Quistis told him. “As long as you finish it well.”

 

Personally she had some doubts about that, though she could admit that his grades had improved a fair amount over the past year. She tried not to inflate her ego about it; he was probably doing well in all his classes, not just hers.

 

“I think I did pretty good,” he said with a grin. As Seifer picked up his bag, he said, “The students have been behaving themselves, so there's not much for me to do.”

 

Quistis nodded politely. “Then spend your time well, Seifer.”

 

He nodded politely back, but not before she caught a glint in his sea-green eyes that she recognized as a bit of mischief, a bit of rogue, and all trouble. As he left, she bit her lip as another bolt of inspiration hit. She only prayed that Seifer or anyone who knew him would not recognize the work she was about to create, because his fictional counterpart was going to get schooled...badly.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: I honestly don't know what I was thinking when I wrote this. But there's a ton more to look forward to, so I hope you're enjoying the strangeness!

 

For art of the first section of the chapter: http://klepto-maniac0.tumblr.com/post/113580624282/http-archiveofourown-org-works-3262109-chapters-7 

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It don't matter to me,  
> 'Cause all I wanted to be  
> Was a million miles from here  
> Somewhere more familiar

/\/\/\/\/\

31 January 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

If anyone would send him porn, it would be Raijin. Nevertheless, Raijin usually prefaced his porn with “OMFG! cant believe this shit” and not “You really need to look at this.” The proper capitalization and grammar was intriguing enough, but when Seifer opened the link in his student mail, he was nevertheless stunned by what greeted him.

 

It was a blatantly obvious pastiche of  _him_ going down on a pastiche of  _Instructor Trepe_ while she sat at her desk. 

 

Seifer dragged his hand over his mouth, not sure how to feel. On a visceral level, he had to admit the picture was hot—oh, and it was one in a series. Compelled by a drive he feared to name, Seifer downloaded all the images and went through them slowly, arousal warring with a growing disquiet. He'd honestly not thought that Quistis had been looking at him that day, but obviously there was a lot going on in her head.

 

Apparently, some of that had to do with a student making up for misbehaving in her classroom by giving her head under her desk in the middle of class. Fuck.

 

“ _I wonder if I could fit under that desk,”_ Seifer found himself wondering before he shook his head, shuddering loudly. _“No! No! Too creepy!”_

 

He tried to be disgusted at the graphic depiction of how Quistis—alright,  _Quinn—_ wanted to dominate  _Kiefer_ and render him into a helpless slave to her charms, but godDAMN if it wasn't hot. Somehow Quistis had been able to tap into that reptile part of the man brain that craved sex with overwhelming need and transform it into something even more intense. Seifer couldn't imagine losing himself over any woman in that way for long, but for a moment? Yeah. Definitely.

 

Of course, his version would end with bending Quistis over the desk and fucking her silly once all the students were gone. He'd get out from underneath that desk and pin her to the wall, rip her skirt from hem to waist, and make her break all the composure she'd been keeping throughout class.

 

“Where the fuck did you find this?” He emailed Raijin.

 

Raijin sent him another link. It was a pay site, which annoyed Seifer, but as a parentless ward of Balamb Garden and as the head of the Disciplinary Committee, he got a bit of a stipend to spend on what he wanted and so he signed up without hesitation. At first, the sheer plethora of porn comics made him stare, but he kept his eye on the prize and searched through thumbnails until he found art that matched the ones that Raijin had sent him.

 

And holy Hyne, was there a lot of it.

 

/\/\/\

 

Quistis was dreaming, she knew that, but it all felt so achingly real as she stammered her way through a speech while on his knees behind her and hidden by a podium, Seifer spread her cheeks apart and licked all of her to distraction. In the dream, her legs shook as her voice remained steady and her knuckles cracked on the podium's edges as she felt Seifer's low hum of satisfaction spread through her flesh and veins. She had no idea what she was saying, only that she had to get through it before Seifer made her cum in front of all her colleagues and all of her students, and it was getting harder to concentrate with every passing moment...

 

She came awake just as Seifer thrust two slick fingers up into her, and the physical wanting was so bad that Quistis had to finish herself off to the thought of being helpless before her most troubled, most irritating student. Afterward she lay in bed and sourly thought that her story idea, profitable though it had been, was more trouble than it was worth. Off and on since submitting the story a month ago, she'd been imagining incredibly hot sex and always with Seifer.

 

“ _That is the last time I put anybody I know into those things,”_ she thought crossly as she rolled out of bed for a shower.

 

It wasn't just the sexy dreams. It was guilt too. She was fairly sure it was just her conscience that made her think Seifer was acting weirdly around her, but Hyne, what if he knew? What if that was why he'd been so quiet and well-behaved in class lately? What if he knew somehow and...and...was disgusted? And wanted to deflect her interest, so he didn't do anything to draw attention?

 

“ _Though would I like it better if he misbehaved...?”_

 

Honestly Quistis had no idea how good Seifer was in bed and anyway, imagination was flawless. But Quistis had read enough erotica that she thought she had a pretty good handle on things and the fact that she was eighteen, single, and _kissless_ made her grind her teeth. Again, there was nobody at the Garden she wanted to date...

 

...but have sex with?

 

“ _Not him,”_ she told herself sternly as she washed off the sweat from her midnight imaginings. _“Anyone but him. He'd lord it over me forever if he knew.”_

 

She could imagine that he would be a dirty jackass about it too, taunting her with his discovery and telling her that if she didn't do _everything_ he wanted, he would let everyone know what she did in her spare time. Quistis grumbled a bit about that before the unkind image vanished, and she sighed. She thought she knew Seifer as well as anyone else, and blackmail wasn't his style. He preferred to punch and chop his way to victory in all aspects of life. If he found her attractive, he would have told her flat out.

 

Hyne, how would that have gone?

 

“ _You're hot. Let's bone.”_

 

Quistis cracked up in the shower, laughing so hard she almost slipped. Nevertheless feeling better about herself, she dressed and went about her day perfectly normal, even interacting with Seifer like nothing was wrong. His polite, somewhat closed-off response to her pleasant demeanor confirmed her suspicions that he knew something, however, and as the day went on, Quistis's mood soured. She needed to talk to him and soon.

 

But where? Her room was out of the question. His room was out of the question too. And there were very few places where two people could talk unnoticed. Briefly she considered the secret area, but that would give him the wrong idea.

 

It suddenly occurred to her that Seifer had not taken his GF test yet.

 

There were three low-level GF's around Balamb Garden, which was one of the reasons why the Garden had been built there. GF's could lend the powers to multiple people at once, provided they liked said people enough, and after reviewing Seifer's file, Quistis decided to knock out two birds with one stone. She messaged him as soon as it was convenient and pointed out that the Lightning Forest was very close by.

 

So they met early one morning and Quistis was pleasantly surprised that Seifer was carrying a backpack like the one she had. Surprisingly few testees remembered to watch over their own supplies, often extending their test by several hours when they needed to go and pack. Seifer greeted her politely and they set off for the Lightning Forest.

 

At first Quistis had an idea of trying to talk to him immediately, but she couldn't figure out what to say and it was such a pleasant day that she decided it would be best to let Seifer take his test first and then, when he was feeling accomplished and happy, she would ask him why he had been so...

 

“ _So polite? So well-mannered? So... Not himself?”_

 

And what would the point of such a conversation be, anyway? She was fairly sure that she didn't want to lose her virginity to Seifer Almasy, but she had the feeling that if she brought up sex, that would almost certainly happen. Maybe not immediately, but he'd figure something out. Men could be very tricky with seduction... Hell, it was practically a trope, the bookish genius girl letting the bad boy get up her skirt and leave her with nothing. No thank you.

 

“ _But maybe you want him to try,”_ whispered the impulsive, bad-decision-making part of her brain. _“It's not like he's_ _giving you those dreams on purpose. Something about you_ likes _them. And him in particular.”_

 

No. No! As the two of them hiked across the fields, Seifer slightly in the lead by virtue of his longer legs, Quistis half-glared at his back. Ruthlessly she admitted he was aesthetically pleasing, but ONLY aesthetically. Aside from his legendary arrogance, he was also disrespectful in her class; in fact, everything she'd made his fictional counterpart apologize for was something _he_ had done.

 

It was very easy to imagine Seifer on his knees before her, hands on the ground, looking up at her with semi-frightened eyes as he said, “I'm sorry for talking back. I'm sorry for treating your curriculum like a joke. I'm sorry for rolling my eyes at you whenever I disagree with something you say, knowing full well you can see me from the front of the class.”

 

...actually, it wasn't easy to imagine him saying all that, but it felt _really nice_ to imagine him doing it. Quistis almost tripped over a rock as heat shivered inside her body.

 

Quistis eyed Seifer's back. He was walking on without a care in the world, sensibly staying silent for once, and it occurred to her that there was no one around for miles. As her mind began to tend toward disciplinary methods that ended with Seifer tied up and panting in the grass, she justified the squirm of guilt away by telling herself that if she took a more active role in her _conscious_ imagination, then she wouldn't be at the mercy of her oversexed subconscious.

 

Unconsciously Quistis licked her lips as she thought about knocking Seifer's feet out from under him with a low sweeping kick, rolling him onto his back, and pinning him down while she utterly humilated him with a scathing lecture. He'd object, of course, but that was when she'd turn the sleeves of his own coat against him and tie him up. _That_ was when she would discover how ridiculously hard he was because it turned out that big bad Seifer Almasy was secretly a sub and was bratting around in hopes that one day Quistis would _finally_ show him a thing or two...

 

“ _I could do it...”_ She thought. She would never _actually_ do that, it was assaulting a student, but the possibility that she could... Ooh. A delicious dark shiver purred below her stomach and made her hips feel warm and heavy. It made walking a lot more interesting. 

 

The sound of whirring wings cut through her heated imagination like a cleaver and Quistis immediately turned to face the swarm of Bite Bugs that had surged up out of the long grass. Seifer was unslinging his backpack and unclipping Hyperion from his belt with a grin, but Quistis was faster. Plus, remembering that she was supposed to be a professional and an Instructor right now instead of a horny girl daydreaming her life away made Quistis slightly irritated, and without bothering to say anything she stepped forward to deal with the annoyances. Stupid Bite Bugs, ruining a perfectly good time...

 

Three of them. It would take maybe three hits. Quistis uncoiled her chain whip and gave it a good hard crack for her own focus more than anything else. Feeling the ripple of motion down her preferred weapon made Quistis automatically exhale and her vision sharpen to the point where the only things that existed were her, the terrain, and the enemies. Her blood transformed to something as bright and fast as mercury as Quistis leapt into battle, running toward the clarity that she knew she needed.

 

 /\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: I have always found it patently hilarious that people think women don't have as high sex drives as men. Ever since I became aware of the concept of sex, I have been extraordinarily curious about it and I find that no few highly intelligent women feel the same. The comorbidity between bookishness and a terror of desire is not that high, either, but then again I know a very narrow set. I certainly don't claim to speak for everyone. But I'll admit that one of the biggest reasons I started writing this story was because I wanted to show that women can be horny as shit too, just as often and just as bad as we think men are.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Too much time spent dragging the past up  
> I didn't see you not looking when I messed up

/\/\/\/\/\

I February 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

Song suggestion: "Oh My God" by Mark Ronson ft. Lily Allen

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Seifer tried to be cool when he was out in the field with Quistis. Being polite and professional was the best way to go considering all the weirdness lately, though when she contacted him out of the blue to take his GF test, he felt a shudder of horror go down his back. She knew. Oh Hyne, holy shit. She knew. She knew that he knew!

 

But maybe she didn't, because Quistis seemed perfectly fine with walking in silence, killing Bite Bugs and other annoyances on their way to the Lightning Forest. Seifer had never taken the opportunity to study her fighting style before and whatever thoughts he'd had about whips before were rapidly replaced by admiration. Quistis's chain whip was razor-edged and even glancing blows could flay flesh from bone. Supremely flexible and possessing a range that even a spear would be hard-pressed to match, it was anything but a silly weapon in her hands.

 

“So what drew you to the whip?” Seifer asked her as she turned a Bite Bug into red mist.

 

“Hmm?” She flicked her wrist and expertly caught the returning coils, her reinforced gauntlets catching the iron fletchettes.

 

“The whip. Why do you like it?”

 

She sighed, which made Seifer realize he was probably the hundredth person this year to ask her that. He wanted to kick himself for sounding like a Trepie, but Quistis answered patiently enough.

 

“I started off with martial arts,” she said in a bored tone that made Seifer cringe a little. “After using both the _jian_ and a rope dart, I wanted something that combined what I loved about both weapons. Hence the chain whip.”

 

“Ah,” said Seifer. He must have sounded awkward because she glanced at him, one brow quirking. She wasn't wearing her reading glasses today, which meant there was nothing between him and her arch look.

 

“You really didn't know?”

 

He shook his head. “No.”

 

“Hm.” They walked on in silence for a bit before she unexpectedly said, “I'm sorry. I'm used to people asking me the same questions over and over, sometimes even when they know the answer.”

 

“Sounds annoying.”

 

“It is,” she said, gratification tingeing her voice. But almost immediately she said, “Don't tell anyone I said that, please.”

 

“Anyone with brains should know,” said Seifer.

 

Quistis looked back at him, stunned, before laughing unexpectedly. The sheer weirdness of making cool, composed Quistis Trepe laugh made Seifer stop in his tracks.

 

“Sorry,” she said again, waving her hand as though she could brush her loss of composure away. “Let's keep going.”

 

So they kept walking, except Seifer realized that Quistis was very pretty when she laughed and he wondered if she did that often...

 

“ _Probably not. She's so serious.”_

 

SeeD at fifteen, Instructor at seventeen. Not for the first time Seifer realized that while her peers had been giggling about crushes and pranking their classmates, Quistis had already been in the field. He'd always been envious of her talent, but abruptly realized that she stood alone. She had friends in Dr. Kadowaki and Xu, but both of them were substantially older. Fujin and Raijin were about Seifer's age and despite their positions at the Garden, they got into plenty of dumb teenager shit. It was great.

 

But Quistis...

 

“Hey,” he said.

 

“Hm?”

 

“When we get Quetzcoatl, let's go to Balamb to celebrate.”

 

She stopped in her tracks and turned around, her face scrunched in confusion. “What?”

 

“Not like a date,” said Seifer immediately, and he saw some of the bewilderment leave her. “Just... Hey, job well done. Also ice cream.”

 

Quistis blinked and stared at him for long enough that he began to get nervous, and when Seifer got nervous, he got irritated. “What?”

 

“I just...” She shook her head slowly. “It wouldn't be appropriate.”

 

“I know,” he said, feeling an irrational surge of disappointment. “Nevermind. Forget I asked.”

 

Quistis opened her mouth and closed it, but Seifer pretended like he hadn't seen her on the verge of saying something and pushed ahead, breathing through the annoying ache in his chest. He was aware of Quistis following a step behind.

 

“Seifer...”

 

“What?”

 

“...I'm very impressed with how hard you've been working this year.”

 

Her voice was soft and almost apologetic, and when he glanced at her over his shoulder she was looking down at the ground, very unlike her usual alert self.

 

“And I also want to thank you for... Being a positive role model to everyone in class, especially lately.”

 

Now Seifer stopped and looked at her, his turn to be confused. “What?”

 

Quistis stopped and sighed in aggravation, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Look... I know I'm not the best Instructor and I should be able to understand and relate to all my students, and I... I'm sorry. I don't feel like I've been able to do that with you. It's my problem that I don't know how to... How to relate to you, I guess.”

 

What the fuck was this?

 

“I just wanted to get ice cream,” he told her. “You're acting like we broke up or something.”

 

“Oh, forget it,” Quistis huffed, starting to walk again. Now more confused than ever, Seifer followed after her and said nothing.

 

/\/\/\

 

It was just ice cream. And she _liked_ ice cream.

 

Quistis wasn't sure what she was more annoyed about, that she'd given a rote response and gotten such a rude brushoff, that she'd actually tried to apologize and been made fun of (breaking up, indeed!) or that when Seifer had suggested going out, her heart had skipped a beat.

 

Hormones. It was just hormones.

 

Quistis told herself sternly that she did not like Seifer Almasy. He wasn't exactly a bully, but he could be overbearing and downright mean, he was definitely arrogant, and the fact that he had some authority as the head of the Disciplinary Committee only heightened those negative attributes. If he'd been less good-looking, he would have been universally hated, but as it was, there were Almasy fangirls at the Garden who just _loooved_ his bad-boy attitude and made no secret of throwing themselves at him. Quistis thought uncharitably that he probably took advantage of that, because what boy wouldn't? And that was what he was, an overgrown boy.

 

“ _And I'm his teacher,”_ she thought with a mixture of irritation and shame. Why did she let him annoy her so much? It was a fact that boys matured more slowly than girls and though they were the same age, Quistis considered herself very much a woman and Seifer very much a boy (mentally, anyway) still. Which meant that _she_ should be understanding, mature, communicative...

 

...not getting upset over ice cream.

 

“ _Well, I'd give the same answer to anybody else,”_ she told herself. _“It's just not professional.”_

 

Professionalism was her mantra, her formula to success. She cloaked herself in it as they laid eyes on the Lightning Forest.

 

From a distance, the Lightning Forest was a beautiful glistening jewel on the horizon made of white-barked trees with silvery leaves and miniature lightning that crackled through the foliage every time the wind blew. Up close it was decidedly more deadly, as the white carpet that lay on the forest floor was not only due to a layer of shed leaves, but also weak animals unfortunate to wander into the forest and get killed by lightning bolts that blasted out of the trees themselves. Fortunately the lightning blasts were easy to recognize since the trees would start to glow before firing off lightning, and there was usually plenty of time to get something between oneself and said tree. Quistis had been in the Lightning Forest many times, as well as the Fire Cavern and the Ice Beach, and knew their vagaries well.

 

The Garden staff at the entrance told them to pick a time, and Seifer chose a reasonable time of twenty minutes. The Fire Cavern and Ice Beach could be cleared in ten with proper preparation, but there was no good source of Water magic around to hit Quetzlcoatl with, which made getting the lightning GF a good bit more difficult. Quistis hoped Seifer could clear the course quickly, if only so this trip would be done with sooner. She got the impression he was still annoyed with her, which made her annoyed with him. At least he was quiet. Seifer had been very quiet, actually, which struck Quistis as strange until she realized he was focusing on the task at hand.  


 

As soon as they entered the forest, Seifer's stride shifted subtly to become less of a swagger and more of a prowl and his eyes narrowed slightly as he scanned the area. As his support, Quistis hung back and waited for direction. Her job was to observe and get him out in case things got too bad, but she had the feeling that the only way Seifer would leave the forest was either in triumph or unconscious defeat, probably because of his tendency to jump ahead and make rash decisions.

 

“Bolt, three o' clock,” said Seifer, making Quistis's eyes flick to the right. One of the white trees was shimmering, and since the lightning was attracted to organic specimens, Quistis and Seifer stepped behind two non-glowing trees and waited until the bolt exploded out. Seifer flinched as the lightning struck the tree he was hiding behind, making it crackle briefly with white light before settling back underneath the bark.

 

Aside from the trees there was another complication to the Lightning Forest, and that was Quetzlcoatl itself. Being birdlike in form, the lightning GF never stayed in one place for long and in Quistis's experience, most of the testing time was used to locate where the damn thing actually was. As the minutes ticked by, Seifer started to get visibly annoyed.

 

“Come on,” he muttered, looking around. He broke into a trot without saying anything and Quistis rolled her eyes before following. In theory speed would be helpful, but not if it made one too tired to fight Quetzlcoatl later. They dodged three more bolts before Seifer swore and sheathed his gunblade.

 

“Giving up?” Quistis asked evenly.

 

He glared at her over his shoulder. “You wish. Wait here.”

 

She folded her arms across her chest and was about to deliver a scathing retort when Seifer started climbing the nearest tree. White light flared from underneath the bark where his hands and feet touched the tree, each point of impact blooming with miniature lightning.

 

“What are you doing?” Quistis demanded, running up to the tree.

 

“Getting a better view,” Seifer shot back. For all his size, he could climb like a monkey and within seconds, disappeared into the canopy of the tree. Quistis paced around the base, worry fluttering in her heart. Seifer wouldn't be the first student who'd tried climbing the trees, but the reason that very few students did so was because contact with said trees often made the trees charge up and release lightning into the nearest organic, which in every case was the student up in its branches. These releases could be debilitating. Quistis was on the verge of calling the test off and telling Seifer to get down, but there was a crashing noise above her head and Seifer dropped down to her side in a spray of silver leaves. She saw a grin on his face.

 

“Northwest,” he said, straightening. “Let's go.”

 

“What would you have done if you'd been electrocuted into unconsciousness?” Quistis demanded as they set off.

 

Seifer laughed. “I'd tell Raijin he got his ass kicked by a tree. His high fives hurt more than that.”

 

Quistis wanted to be annoyed, but it was surprisingly difficult to keep her mouth twisted into a line of disapproval when all she wanted to do was chuckle. She knew there had to be something wrong if she was amused by his insouciance, but honestly...

 

“ _It's a nice change from boys who stammer or clam up, or who otherwise choke.”_

 

Five minutes later the air above them became oppressively thick and when Quistis looked up, a green-gold form swept over their heads. Seifer grinned.

 

“Finally,” he said, tracking the lightning GF with his eyes. “Let's go.”

 

They ran lightly through the forest, dodging bolts and weaving their way through dense white trees, until they popped into a clearing and Quetzlcoatl was suddenly there, waving its wings gently in the air.

 

“So,” it said in a voice that came from no mouth and buzzed like bees in Seifer's ears. “You wish to subdue me.”

 

“Make it easy on yourself,” he said, raising his gunblade.

 

Quetzlcoatl fired a ball of lightning from its eyeless head that Seifer adroitly dodged, though a tree behind him was reduced to snow-white splinters. Quistis dodged too, going into a roll, and as she sprang to her feet Seifer shouted, “Instructor, Scan it!”

 

She dragged a film of para-magic over her eyes, information flooding her brain before vanishing like a puff of smoke. “5940 HP, weak to water,” she called back.

 

“Tch.” Seifer lunged at the lightning GF and managed to hit it, which made Quistis wince; Quetzlcoatl's elemental affinity made it so anybody who connected with a metal weapon got a nasty shock. But Seifer either didn't care or wasn't affected, because he sliced at the GF again and said, “Cover me with magic! I'm taking this thing down.”

 

“Are you truly?” Quetzlcoatl seemed to ask, rolling away from a third strike. “Do you know who you're speaking to?”

 

“My next pet,” said Seifer with a grin. Quistis sighed.

 

The battle was short and furious. Quistis stayed at the sidelines and cast Fire spells at need, distracting Quetzlcoatl from hitting Seifer with more of those deadly lightning balls. She was not surprised he was so willing to engage up close and personal, but what actually shocked her was how Seifer ignored pain, magic, and fatigue to hammer away at Quetzlcoatl until the GF finally bowed its head in defeat. As it vanished and left a summonstone on the ground, Quistis took a moment to Scan Seifer.

 

“ _He's eighty percent down, but you'd never known it from the way he's acting...”_ thought Quistis as Seifer picked up the summonstone and grinned. He flipped it into the air and caught it in a pocket, practically aglow with satisfaction. 

 

“Nice work,” she told him. “Though you might make better use of your teammates.”

 

He tsked. “Being my teammate means staying out of my way. Besides, your whip is all metal.”

 

“Except the handle,” said Quistis, showing him her weapon. “Which is very well insulated. I would have been able to attack Quetzlcoatl and take less than half the damage you did with every blow.”

 

Seifer tsked again, but this time with more annoyance.

 

They headed for the exit. Quistis knew approximately where it was, but Seifer scaled another tree and dropped down again to confirm. He did not heal himself, which struck Quistis as patently stupid. When she brought it to his attention, Seifer only shrugged.

 

“I still feel fine,” he said.

 

“And will you indeed be as fine when we are crossing the plains back to the Garden?” She pointed out.

 

“The hard part is done,” he said with a little stretch. “And it's your responsibility to get me back alive.”

 

She arched her brow at him. “So you're saying, 'Help me, Instructor. I am too lazy and weak to take care of myself.'”

 

Seifer stopped in the path. As he looked over his shoulder with a distinctly annoyed expression, she saw his eyes flick up and without warning he lunged forward and grabbed her wrist. Quistis didn't have time to do anything other than let out a extremely girly squeak as Seifer stepped behind a tree and dragged her to him, flattening his back against the trunk. A half-second later, a painless impact made the air crackle as errant lightning blasted the tree they were hiding behind.

 

“Sorry,” he said, letting go of her wrist and not looking her in the eyes. “Not out yet.”

 

“No,” she said, startled by his particular reaction. It hadn't been unreasonable in the least, but the shock of their bodies being pressed together was more stunning than the Quetzlcoatl's thunder had been. Quistis swallowed against the sudden hammering of her heart, which was probably reacting to adrenaline more than anything else. She couldn't remember if she'd ever been this close to anyone, let alone a member of the opposite sex.

 

And she had to be imagining the blush on Seifer's cheeks. Seifer Almasy did not blush.

 

To cover her lapse, Quistis briskly pressed a Cure spell into Seifer's chest and saw a healthier color return to the skin she could see above the v-neck of his shirt. She thought she felt the lightest intake of breath at her touch, but when Quistis looked up, Seifer was all but rolling his eyes. Nevertheless she could feel something like heat shimmering out from her body, unnerving her with its very existence. Quistis stepped back and walked away, making Seifer have to catch up behind her.

 

They exited the Lightning Forest with about a minute to spare. The town of Balamb glittered on the horizon, an hour's walk away down the paved road, and Quistis hesitated. She really did like ice cream and Seifer had performed very well...

 

“ _But people will talk. And it's not professional.”_

 

So she walked back to the Garden with Seifer in silence and mentally composed her next quiz to get rid of the strange thickness in her heart.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: I made up some geographical locations to explain where Shiva and Quetzalcoatl came from. Fun fact, I had to keep going back and taking out A's in Queztacoatl's name for this chapter because I knew of the bird before I knew of the GF and enough spelling bee training remains in me that it's hard for me to consciously misspell something. It actually got a bit torturous later in the chapter.

 

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	4. Chapter 4

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2 February 2015   
  
This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?  
  
Song suggestion: "Passing By" by Beatbox Guitar  
  
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A week later there was a fight in the cafeteria between two underclassmen girls, which Seifer happened to witness on his way for lunch. Grumbling at the length of the line for food, he nevertheless dropped out of it and vaulted the short stonework planter between him and the fighters, startling everyone who was egging them on but not actually stopping the girls themselves. That, Seifer did by seizing the backs of their jackets and hauling them apart, holding them at arm's length like he'd do for boys.

 

“This makes me sad,” he said, making eye contact with each furious girl. “It's a beautiful day, I was about to get some lunch, and you two made me lose my place. What is going on?”

 

They started shrieking at the same time, so Seifer shook them like puppies until they settled down. Predictably it turned out to be some miscommunication about boyfriends (boyfriends at twelve! Clearly they didn't have enough homework) who weren't actually boyfriends, just good friends that one had unrequited and possessive feelings for. Seifer let them go after a canned lecture on the importance of communication and glanced back at the line, which was gone. Because the cafeteria was now closed. Seifer grumbled, because of course this would happen during the last lunch period of the day. The Garden never wanted its students to starve of course, but the lunch ladies sure could bitch if you asked them to do anything after they were done cleaning up...

 

“ _Five hours until dinner,”_ thought Seifer with a grumble. “ _At least there's always the vending machines.”_

 

As he turned to go in search of said machines, a flash of particular sunny blonde hair caught his eye and Seifer glanced at a nearby table to see Instructor Trepe eating ice cream. It was a bizarre combination, one scoop of strawberry and another scoop of mint chocolate chip, but what made Seifer really scowl was that opposite her, arms folded across his chest and looking thoroughly unimpressed, was Squall Leonhart.

 

“ _So she'll get ice cream with him, but not me. Hypocrite.”_

 

Now in a fouler mood than he wanted to admit, Seifer stomped out of the cafeteria and was unaware that no few people turned to look at him. Including Quistis Trepe, who first frowned at him and then flushed.

 

“ _Oops,”_ she thought guiltily, looking at Squall. Squall seemed mildly intrigued by Seifer's bad mood, but was even more uncommunicative as usual. She'd stopped by after getting ice cream to see what was bothering him, but so far he'd been silent as the grave. Nevertheless Quistis was determined not to give up on him, because of all her students, Squall was the most stubborn.

 

Well... Tied with the most stubborn.

 

The ice cream seemed to take on a bitter taste, so Quistis finally left Squall alone like he clearly wanted to be and ate the rest of her treat in the sunshine, outside in the yard. The sunshine helped but she still felt like she did something wrong, and remembering the angry set of Seifer's shoulders made the ache in her chest return. She couldn't blame him for being angry, of course. In her place, she'd feel exactly the same...

 

Quistis had actually gone through something very similar as a student, except she had asked for her instructor's feedback on a paper and he'd told her that hers was perfect. That was great, except she'd wanted to spend more time with him. And seeing him in the library later, tutoring one of the slower students...

 

“ _That was six years ago,”_ she realized abruptly. _“And it still hurts.”_

 

It absolutely shouldn't. Her instructor had just been doing his job. But when you wanted to do well and the figure you respected didn't want anything to do with you...

 

“ _No, no, no, that's stupid. Seifer has never once asked for any help on any of my material, or any material. He studies hard and improves by himself. He doesn't need to spend time with me..._

 

“ _...as an Instructor.”_

 

Quistis squirmed. She really, really, _really_ did not want to think of the possibility that Seifer Almasy had a _crush_ on her and she had just broken his heart by accident. This was very different than turning down a Trepie with stars in his or her eyes, because that was nipping something in the bud before it could be a problem. But men didn't stomp off like that unless they were really hurt...

 

“ _No, no, no!”_ Quistis's practical mind seemed to slap her upside the head. _“More than likely, it has_ nothing _to do you with you! Maybe he missed lunch. And you saw him break up that fight. It probably left a bad taste in his mouth. Don't be so obsessed with thinking that he cares about what_ you're _doing. You certainly don't care about what he's doing.”_

 

That was very true. In fact, the longer Quistis thought about it, the more she decided that Seifer was probably in a bad mood over something entirely different. In fact, he was usually in a bad mood, wasn't he? Or imminently about to be in one? Yes, that was it. He was just having a bad day, and the fact that he saw her eating ice cream with Squall only made her feel guilty because she'd turned him down and was still thinking about it a week later.

 

...Oops.

 

Quistis groaned softly and covered her face. She really hadn't wanted to admit that to herself. It just wasn't fair that the one time Seifer had tried to reach out and have a personal connection with a faculty member for the first time ever, it had to be with her and she was all weird about it because she'd spent days thinking about how good he'd look on his knees in front of her. For the first time since the trip to the Lightning Forest, Quistis replayed their conversation but pretended that she didn't see Seifer as anything other than a problem student. If her feelings for him had been chaste, _she would have said yes without a thought._ Because she had finally connected and built a relationship with him. And sure, it would have been awkward after when people started gossiping, but if Quistis was honest, gossip came and went every day, especially about her. Could she not take it?

 

Apparently not.

 

“ _Now what do I do?”_ She thought glumly, resting her elbows on her knees and cradling her chin in her hands. _“I need to clear the air somehow, but I can't think of a thing to say that won't make things end badly... And I hate talking about feelings in person.”_

 

She should have just put Squall in that sexy story instead. At least he didn't talk to her in real life, so things couldn't get awkward.

 

“ _That's actually a good point,”_ she realized suddenly. _“I only feel this way about Seifer because I crossed a line. Theoretically... If I drew another story, crossing that same line again, the effect should be lessened. And I'll stop being bothered.”_

 

And Seifer could have as many bad moods as he wanted, because none of them had to do with her.

 

Feeling a bit better about things, Quistis checked the time. Her classes were done for the day, which meant that she had until dinnertime to thumbnail a new installment in her “Bad Teacher” series.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Short update today for a monster update tomorrow.

 

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	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Afraid of change, afraid of staying the same  
> When temptation calls, we just look away

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3 February 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

“Oh, for fuck's sake,” Seifer near-snarled at his computer. He was still on the pay site and a new story had just appeared, this one featuring _Quinn the Bad Teacher_ taking an active role in jumping _Tempest._ Normally Seifer liked when ladies knew themselves enough to be in charge, but seeing Quistis graphically depict how she wanted to tie Squall to a tree and blow him until he told her his secrets just made him pissed. Not because Quistis was a freak, because he'd known that already.

 

No, he was mad because for the past two weeks, the memory of holding her close in the Lightning Forest popped up at the stupidest moments.

 

At the time, it honestly hadn't been a sexy thing. He'd looked over his shoulder, seen they were about to get zapped by a bolt, and had swung them both out of the way before he could lose points for inattention. And he hadn't given that a moment's thought until that night, when he idly wondered if the look of surprise on her face was due entirely to the sudden manhandling or something more...fun.

 

She hadn't exactly been bad to hold either. Seifer had always assumed that SeeD women were solid muscle and watching Quistis fight had only cemented that impression even as he was deeply impressed by her abilities. There was no way to believe that Quistis was soft or welcoming in the least when someone saw her in deadly, efficient motion. The cold look of focus in her eyes aside, Quistis fought _hard,_ utilizing her entire body instead of just her arms, and between the wide, powerful stances she took, the hard twists coming from the hips and waist, and the almost-too-fast to see SNAP of her arm, it was easy to label Quistis as just a killing machine. Something in Seifer's predator heart stirred when he watched Quistis move. Power, control, mastery—they were all turn-ons, though Seifer didn't consider himself to be into S&M. It was more like arousal mixing with respect. Quistis was the Prodigal SeeD and worthy of respect.

 

At the same time, she had been soft and surprisingly warm when she'd been tight against him, especially her breasts and the long, elastic plane of her stomach. He remembered the pressure of her legs against his and their hips pressed together so closely that the memory made Seifer shift with growing desire. He tried to tell himself it was just physicality, but there had been something endearingly girlish about the startled look on Quistis's face, reminding Seifer that for all her accomplishments, Quistis was his age. She was still a teenage girl, probably shy and inexperienced...

 

“ _And with the randiest mind I know...”_

 

The problem with being on a website with vast archives of porn was that _he was on a website with vast archives of porn,_ and knowing that professional, deadly, inexperienced Quistis was into that created a study of contrasts that Seifer kept returning to. Seifer sometimes caught himself spacing out in Quistis's direction while she was teaching, wondering how she'd react if he came up to her and kissed her, or even just held her again. Would she look at him with the cold blue eyes of a professional SeeD? Or would she stare up at him, uncertain and trembling, sweet pink lips parted with subtle invitation? Would she laugh, grab his lapels, and do everything that he knew her imagination was capable of? Now that he knew the warmth of her skin and the pressure of her body (especially the softness of her breasts against his chest; it was very easy to translate _that_ particular sensation into an explicit situation), Seifer wondered if he'd ever get the opportunity to feel that again.

 

Nevertheless Seifer had mostly thought of fantasizing as a fun way to kill time, but the darkness that surged in his heart when he saw that Quistis wanted to bang someone else was very telling. To his dismay, Seifer realized he was jealous. 

“ _You fucking pussy,”_ snarled his inner voice. _“Look at you, getting all whiny like some pimple-faced 'nice guy' who thinks every girl winking at him wants to suck his dick. You aren't dating. You haven't even kissed her. You're pathetic for getting this worked up, especially when there's plenty of other girls who'd hop to if you snapped your fingers. You dumb asshole.”_

 

There was only one thing to do with an excess of angry energy. Seifer put on his coat, checked Hyperion, and went to the Training Center, the favored area for students doing shit they shouldn't. He, Fujin, and Raijin had cleaned up the drugs a while back, but that didn't mean there wasn't some other wrongdoing going on, and barring that, he could use the practice.

 

It was around eleven at night when Seifer went into the Training Center. The Grats he destroyed on the way to the secret area were pathetically easy, and as he entered the protected room, he heard distinctive noises from the other side of the wall. Seifer paused in the hallway and wondered just how much of a shit he should be.

 

“ _I'm in a bad mood, so...”_

 

Seifer banged the butt of Hyperion on the tunnel's metal wall, hearing a masculine and feminine scream as he made himself known.

 

“Seifer of the DC!” He shouted, making the feminine voice swear. “One of you had better not be underage!”

 

“Fuck off, Seifer,” snapped the female voice. Abruptly he realized it was Xu and he nearly cracked his face with a grin.

 

“Oh, nevermind,” he said viciously, backing down the hall before Xu could come out and kick his ass. “Carry on, geriatrics. And just in case you're not past your childbearing years...”

 

Seifer liked to be prepared for all sorts of situations that the Disciplinary Committee ran into, so he reached into an inner pocket, pulled out a couple of condoms, and threw them into the secret area, where they landed with soft paps on the floor.

 

Xu's enraged screech sent him speeding down the hall with a laugh, though it wasn't until he came out into the training center proper that he realized someone had been watching his entire performance. Quistis Trepe stood outside, hands on hips and battle-ready, though she didn't look like she wanted to kick his ass at the moment.

 

“Was that really necessary?” She asked in her best frosty teacher voice.

 

“Nah,” said Seifer, flushed with schadenfreude. “But it was pretty funny, don't you think?”

 

He saw the corner of her mouth twitch. “No,” she said, or tried to say sternly. A snicker burst out and though she turned primly away, it was already too late. Seifer grinned until he heard the echo of angry footsteps down a metal floor.

 

“Time to go,” said Seifer, glancing around for a good hiding place. Bitch or not, Xu was a full SeeD and could probably kick him from one end of the Training Area to another. Banking on his long experience of finding wrongdoers in the damndest places, Seifer sheathed Hyperion and ran for the nearest tree. A few months ago he'd had a kleptomaniac who had hidden all her treasures in the trees, so since then Seifer had practiced tree climbing just in case. He managed to get himself hidden and turned around to watch the show, but nearly jumped out of his skin when a whipcrack on the other side of the tree sounded like a gun had gone off next to his head.

 

“Get your own tree,” he hissed at Quistis as she hauled herself up her chain whip. Her gloves were _very_ reinforced.

 

“I panicked,” she hissed back. “Shut up.”

 

They both shut up as Xu burst out of the tunnel from the secret area, lightning crackling in both her hands and murder in her eyes. Seifer had to stuff his fist into his mouth to keep from laughing aloud as she spun in furious circles, never once looking up. A moment later, a shamefaced SeeD from Trabia emerged from the tunnel and he heard Quistis gasp softly.

 

“Come on,” said the Trabian SeeD to Xu. “It wasn't that bad.”

 

“Ooh, I _hate_ that little bastard!” Xu exclaimed, the lightning puffing from her hands. Seifer silently gestured at Xu, making sure he had eye contact with Quistis. Quistis glared at him and said nothing.

 

“But he did kind of do us a favor,” said the Trabian SeeD with a little laugh. “He left us three of them.”

 

“I'm not using Seifer-condoms,” said Xu, folding her arms. “They're probably expired. Or have holes punched in them.”

 

“ _Only if I want Dr. Kadowaki to kill me for passing out bad goods,”_ thought Seifer; it had been her idea to make sure the DC were supplied, just in case. Boy, had that been an awkward conversation.

 

“I checked,” said the Trabian SeeD. “Well within use date and no marks anywhere. So...”

 

Xu grumbled as he embraced her, but her annoyed noises became distinctly softer and more heated when he began to nibble on her ear. Seifer glanced at Quistis, who was looking rather pink and incredibly awkward.

 

“ _Oh, so you can draw it, but you can't actually watch it, can you?”_ He thought with a smirk.

 

On the other hand, Seifer did not want to see Xu naked and going at it right underneath the tree where he and Quistis were hiding, so he ignored the intensifying noises below as he searched for a way out. After a few minutes, Seifer found one of the warty green fruits that the students jokingly called 'monkey brains' and straightened cautiously to pluck it off the branch.

 

“What are you doing?” Quistis hissed as he eased himself back down into a crouch. Balancing on his toes, Seifer silently held up a finger to his lips and drew back the softball-sized, bowling-ball heavy fruit. Seifer saw Quistis's eyes widen with horror and she gasped almost too loud. “No! Don't you dare! They'll see us!”

 

“Watch and learn,” he whispered back, making her glare at him furiously. Seifer lobbed the fruit out of the tree, aiming for an area that he'd taken care to avoid the last three or four times he'd been in the training center. He listened for a thump and then grinned as he heard a furious screech of Grats in the distance. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Quistis cover her mouth in shock.

 

Seifer barely managed to keep his balance in the tree for stuffing back laughter as no less than five Grats burst from their nest and started running around, looking for the source of the disturbance. As soon as the monsters broke cover, Xu and her paramour noticed and redressed with curses, managing to sprint out just before they were stampeded by the enraged plant-beings. As soon as they were out of sight, Seifer finally let loose the laugh he had been holding back.

 

“That was _horrible_ ,” said Quistis, her voice tight with suppressed laughter of her own. When he looked at her, she turned away again and he heard her muffling her giggles.

 

“Oh, I'm sorry,” said Seifer, not sorry at all. “Did you want to see them make the beast with two backs?”

 

“Ugh! No!”

 

“Neither did I. And by the way, I was right.”

 

“Right? About...oh.” Quistis sighed. “It was just the heat of the moment speaking. I'm sure she doesn't actually hate you.”

 

“Nah,” said Seifer, gripping the branch to sling himself out of the tree. “She's always hated me. And don't say I'm mistaken, because I would definitely know better than you.”

 

In this case, getting down was not easier than getting up. After hanging for a moment, Seifer decided to suck it up and just drop to the ground, though he lessened the impact by swinging a little and turning the forward momentum into a force-eating roll as he hit the floor. Quistis climbed back down her whip and released it from the branch with a flick.

 

“So what are you doing here so late at night?” He asked her.

 

“I was going for a walk,” she said. “And then I saw you heading off here by yourself.”

 

“Aww, were you worried about me?”

 

“Could you handle a T-Rexaur alone?”

 

She said it like a teacher, not like she didn't take him seriously, so Seifer thought about it and shrugged. “I'd run,” he admitted. “I don't want that big of a fight tonight.”

 

“Where are Fujin and Raijin?”

 

“Let's see... It's Wednesday, so Fujin is probably checking the Quad and Raijin is checking the Parking Lot.” At Quistis's look of surprise, Seifer laughed and said, “What? You think we don't do anything at night?”

 

“No, no...” She waved her hand. Seifer noticed her gloves weren't even scratched. What were they made out of? “I'm just surprised you're not running around together.”

 

“Sometimes we're more effective when we're apart,” said Seifer. “And what are your gloves made out of, anyway?”

 

“My gloves?”

 

“Yeah. They've gotta be tough, if you're climbing up your whip like a rope.”

 

“Oh. They're dyed Marlboro skin.”

 

“ _Marlboro_ skin?” Seifer exclaimed. Quistis self-consciously tucked her hair over her ear.

 

“I bought them as a treat for myself after my first successful mission,” said Quistis, sounding slightly defensive. “I got a bonus.”

 

“I'm not objecting. If you're going to treat yourself, treat yourself right. Damn,” said Seifer, shaking his head in admiration. “Most women I know would get a purse.”

 

“And how many women do you know?” Quistis asked him, arching a brow.

 

“Ah... A few,” said Seifer, choosing not to betray Fujin's love of purses. He swore she just collected the things and never used them, not that you ever said so to her face.

 

“Well, _I_ like practical gifts,” said Quistis, stretching. “So are you done for the night or is this the middle of your patrol?”

 

“It's not an official patrol...” said Seifer slowly, eyeing her. “Why?”

 

“I...” Quistis bit her lip, casting her gaze to the side. “I wanted to clear the air.”

 

Her words felt like a punch in the heart but Seifer kept his voice light as he asked, “What about?”

 

“Um...” She laughed, shaking her head. “It's stupid, and I'm sure you've forgotten all about it. But when we went to the Lightning Forest a bit over a week ago and you asked...if we...could go get ice cream afterward, and I said no...”

 

“I remember,” said Seifer cautiously, feeling his pulse start to ramp up. Stupid pulse.

 

“I meant it back then, when I said it wasn't professional,” she said, making him roll his eyes a bit. “So... I wanted to ask if you if you were angry a couple days ago when I was eating ice cream with Squall in the Cafeteria.”

 

The temptation to be an asshole was great. Seifer considered making Quistis feel incredibly stupid by saying no, he hadn't seen any such thing, what the hell was she talking about, why was she so stuck up that she thought he paid attention to anything she did. And he entertained that option seriously for about two seconds before realizing that there was no point. She'd get mad, storm off, and nothing would change.

 

And Seifer didn't exactly want anything to change, he didn't dare to hope for it, but he just...didn't like how awkward things were now. And it had to cost her to say this stuff, because she couldn't even look him in the eye.

 

“I...was...kinda pissed,” he admitted, feeling abruptly like he was ten years old again. When Quistis looked at him in surprise, Seifer bristled and said, “Come on! Plenty of students would love to get extra time with you and that jackass just sits there like a bump on a log. The least he could do is make small talk but no, he just sits there...”

 

Seifer folded his arms across his chest, dropped his head slightly, and imitated Squall's slouch. He fully expected Quistis to be annoyed at that, but he saw her face twitch again and she covered her mouth.

 

“Stop making me laugh at things that aren't funny!” She told him.

 

“Stop pretending they aren't funny,” he retorted, straightening.

 

They looked at each other in semi-belligerent silence for a while before Quistis straightened glasses that weren't there and leaned back on her heel, folding her arms.

 

“Well, that's it,” she said. “I wanted to apologize for making you feel like I threw your gesture in your face.”

 

“Well, that's very nice of you,” he said, folding his own arms. “So. Strawberry and mint chocolate chip.”

 

“The mint and the strawberry clear away the cloying sweetness of the chocolate and cream. It's a good balance. What do you get?”

 

Seifer debated blackmailing her into getting ice cream with him for real as long as she was being friendly, but that would be an asshole move. “Black walnut.”

 

“That one is pretty good too,” said Quistis. “I haven't eaten it in years...”

 

“I like it,” said Seifer, suddenly aware of how bizarre the conversation had become. Quistis seemed to think the same thing, because they stared awkwardly at each other and then at anywhere but each other. “Uh... I'm gonna...patrol.”

 

“I'll support you,” she said, grateful for something to do. Seifer nodded and they walked off, dispatching Grats and dodging a dozing T-Rexaur. It took about an hour to clear the Training Center and most of that was spent in silence, which was better than awkward conversation. It let Quistis think, though that wasn't relaxing either. She didn't know how to feel about knowing that she had actually hurt his feelings, that he was annoyed that Squall wasn't giving her his respect, and that Seifer liked an ice cream she'd nearly forgotten the taste of. She didn't know what to make of Seifer as a person, nor what to make of the fact that Seifer had made her laugh more frequently in the past two weeks than anyone in the past two months. Unless you counted friends, of course, but Seifer wasn't a friend. He was a student, _her_ student, and he was also not an abstract whose image she could use without consequences. Unconsciously Quistis sighed aloud, thinking of the corner she'd painted herself into.

 

“So...” said Seifer unexpectedly.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Any idea when the field test might be?”

 

“Sorry, no,” she told him. Things had been quiet around the world lately, which was nice for civilians and not so nice for the Garden. Seifer grunted and they kept walking. She eyed his back, sourly realizing that even up until a day ago, she would have been imagining all sorts of inappropriate scenarios with him in it, but she knew him just well enough now that thinking about things got creepy. Quistis sighed again.

 

“You keep making that noise,” he said, looking over his shoulder. “What's on your mind?”

 

“You wouldn't be interested.”

 

“...Try me,” said Seifer, morbidly curious. Was she thinking about sexy things? Because hey, they were alone and if she wanted to... Well, he wouldn't say no.

 

“ _Don't get your hopes up, Almasy. Girls are only that easy in porn.”_

 

Well, a guy could dream. Daydream. Seifer, however, chose to keep his mind in the present and out of the gutter...for now.

 

Quistis chewed her lip. She had listened on Seifer breaking up the cafeteria fight, and though he'd clearly been annoyed, he hadn't been bad at getting to the root of the problem and making the girls get along. Nevertheless, the root of _her_ problem was too weird to get at...

 

“Oh well,” she sighed, shaking her head. “Don't take this the wrong way. But I'm a little jealous of Xu. Did you know she's ten years older than I am?”

 

“What? Really?”

 

Quistis nodded. “And her SeeD number is 0001. But that's not important. Xu has never found it hard to find...companionship. But me...”

 

“You have standards,” said Seifer, making her blink in surprise. “And there's nothing wrong with those.”

 

“I know, but...” Quistis scuffed the ground with her toe. “It's just... It makes me a little frustrated sometimes. All the boys my age are my students and all the men who match me intellectually aren't ones I find attractive, either because they're too old or just...not attractive. And meanwhile there's Xu, hooking up with out-of-towners...”

 

“Trabian SeeD, right?”

 

“Mm-hmm.” Quistis sighed. “I actually went on a mission with him once. When I was sixteen. He ruffled my hair and told me I was 'cute'.” She put particular emphasis on the word to make it obvious that 'cute' was exactly not what she'd wanted to hear. That had been a very short crush.

 

“If it helps,” said Seifer after a moment. “I don't think you're cute.”

 

“Oh great, thanks.” She rolled her eyes. “What exactly do you think I am?”

 

Oops. Quistis felt the awkwardness surge back in full force as she realized she actually cared about what he had to say. When Quistis looked at Seifer again, he had stopped walking and was standing very still.

 

“Well...” said Seifer carefully, turning to face her. “You're very good at your job. You're the smartest woman I know. And...” She saw him struggling a bit. “In terms of looks... You're...Uh...”

 

Seifer stalled out, rubbing the back of his neck and looking anywhere but at her. The uncomfortable thickness in the air became denser with each passing breath until Quistis decided to let him off the hook. She was half-afraid that a word might turn the low heat inside her to a boil.

 

“Let's just say 'conventionally attractive' and leave it at that,” she suggested. “Thanks for trying, Seifer. I know I'm good-looking. I'm single by choice, you know.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” said Seifer, sounding relieved. “Of course. Just...” To her surprise, he laughed a bit self-deprecatingly and said, “I couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't get me in trouble.”

 

“...like what?” Quistis asked somewhat suspiciously.

 

“Nothing bad,” Seifer said, frowning at her look. “I just don't want you to think I'm hitting on you.”

 

“I can tell the difference between a compliment and a come-on,” said Quistis with some annoyance.

 

“Okay,” said Seifer, also sounding annoyed. “Then I think you're beautiful.”

 

“Thank you very much,” she said, trying not to sound snippy. Had that really been so hard to say? Or something he honestly thought she'd give him trouble over?

 

“I also think you're hot as hell,” he tossed out.

 

Now Quistis glared. “That is _not_ appropriate.”

 

“Which is why I didn't say it in the first place,” he retorted.

 

“You didn't have to say it now either.”

 

“Well, you obviously don't like being called 'cute'.”

 

“I don't like 'hot as hell' either!” said Quistis, gesturing at herself. “At least with 'cute', it's like I'm a small animal or a child. 'Hot as hell' implies sexual desire, which means that you...”

 

Now she remembered who she was talking to and Quistis sputtered as heat flowed up her face and stole her words. Seifer looked at her with eyes narrowed ever so slightly in confusion. A couple of weeks ago, Seifer would never have imagined that Quistis Trepe could be embarrassed, that she could be anything other than professional.

 

“ _But she laughs. She jokes. She gets self-conscious. She's...real.”_

 

Not that she'd ever been fake of course, just very far away. So smart, so capable, so busy. She had always been so completely out of reach that Seifer had written her off except as a _thing_ that just existed, except now she wasn't a thing. She was a person. She was a girl. And now Quistis was blushing, talking honestly with him, and Seifer couldn't help but wonder how many people she interacted with like this. Definitely not many. Not with her Ice Queen reputation, though Seifer internally smirked thinking about how hot she actually ran. Knowing what he knew about her now made him feel good, like he was in on a secret and seeing more of the real her, who was a much more interesting person than he'd initially imagined.

 

“Tell me,” Seifer asked, equal parts mystified and amused. “Is it that you don't want to be thought of as a sexy woman, or that you don't want _me_ thinking of you as a sexy woman?”

 

“You're my student,” she replied, flabbergasted by the renewed surge of heat that went out from her chest. “It's not—”

 

“Appropriate, I know,” said Seifer impatiently. “But we're the same age... Quistis.”

 

She felt a weird little shiver go down her spine. Seifer seemed to sense that weakness because he took a half-step toward her and pointed, saying, “And if you weren't an Instructor, I would have asked you out already.”

 

“What?” Quistis exclaimed, floored.

 

Seifer paused. Then he paled. He actually turned a shade very similar to his coat. “Shit.”

 

“What?” Quistis exclaimed as Seifer turned on his heel and sped-walked out of the Training Center. “What!?”

 

“ _Shitshitshit,”_ thought Seifer as he heard Quistis starting to run after him. He hadn't meant to let any of that slip out, but carried away with the headiness of competition, he'd _of course_ said the thing that was most embarrassing for both of them. He could not remember the last time he'd been so stupid in front of a woman.

 

Seifer heard Quistis catching up, so he walked faster, which made her jog faster, and then before Seifer knew it, he was actually running. Running like a bitch instead of talking like a normal person. Abruptly he stopped and turned around, furious with himself for fleeing, and Quistis ran straight into his chest. She hit him hard enough that they both staggered and she actually clutched her face. Seifer rubbed his chest with a wince.

 

Except now that they had stopped running, they had to actually do something. _Shit._

 

“In the interest of clearing the air,” he said formally, deciding to go on the offensive. “Yes, I find you attractive. Aesthetically and also... You know.” Seifer dragged his hand over his mouth, feeling his face go as red as a fire engine. “So that's it. Let's never talk about this again. Goodnight.”

 

He turned to go but then Quistis grabbed his arm and blurted out, “I... I think you're attractive too. But I don't want to date you or anything, I just...”

 

“Just what?” Seifer asked against his better judgment. He could feel his blood beating hard in his veins, seeming to urge him toward Quistis. He had been trying not to think about the fact that the two of them were alone late at night with no one around. He saw that realization come over Quistis too and the most enticing blush came over her pale cheeks.

 

“ _I should be running away,”_ thought Quistis, her breath coming light and shallow. For no good reason she was aware of the heat that seemed to roll off Seifer in waves, along with the light scent of clean sweat and a musk that was uniquely his. Quistis could feel her own blood pulsing in her chest and worse, between her legs. It was shameful how curious she suddenly was about...everything. And here was a golden opportunity, if she just reached out and took it.

 

“ _But would I be able to look at myself tomorrow?”_

 

She caught a flicker of motion as Seifer reached out for her, just the barest twitch of his hand. Quistis stepped back, suddenly afraid. Something like hurt flashed across Seifer's sea-green eyes.

 

“I don't bite,” he said quietly.

 

This time he reached out more deliberately and Quistis felt herself getting tenser and tenser the closer his hand came to her body. She could feel his proximity like a hot iron coming closer. When he touched her hand, she flinched at how something in her responded to his touch.

 

Seifer drew back, disappointment and shame roiling in his chest. Quistis was so scared that she was shaking. She couldn't even look him in the eye. He curled his hand into a fist and stepped back, breathing deeply.

 

“Okay,” he said, keeping his voice soft and nonthreatening. Quistis's eyes flicked up to glance at him and her lips parted as though to say something, but Seifer wasn't planning to stick around to hear it. He'd had enough of this jerking around, tonight and forever. He was sick of dreams and imagined possibilities. He had better things to do than obsess over someone else's fantasies.

 

Quistis watched Seifer walk away, his steps becoming longer and harder until he was all but thundering. He was so angry. And at the moment, she was too. She gripped herself hard, chest heaving as she cursed her inability to just...be. To just relax. If she had, something new and maybe good would be happening now. Something that, now it was gone, she definitely knew she wanted.

 

“C...” She couldn't even get a word out. Even upset as she was, she couldn't say 'come back'. Would he even turn around?

 

Would anyone?

 

/\/\/\

 

WhippyWoman: I think I'm going to be late with my submission this month.

 

DangBanana: rly? everything ok?

 

WhippyWoman: Not really. I think I made a mistake. And there's some personal stuff too.

 

DangBanana: like what? if u wanna talk...

 

WhippyWoman: Thank you, but no. Do you remember the first Bad Teacher episode I submitted?

 

DangBanana: the one that got us 200 new subscribers? might ring a bell.

 

WhippyWoman: Well it was based on someone I know.

 

DangBanana: ha

 

WhippyWoman: Not ha. That's who the personal stuff is with. I mean, I'd hate it if someone drew smut of me without telling me, so why would I do that to him?

 

DangBanana: i see i see. well don't do anything u don't want to, but u know the readers like it.

 

WhippyWoman: I know. I have another one sort of drawn already, but then it got weird... I need time.

 

DangBanana: sort of drawn? How sort of?

 

WhippyWoman: Well it's just written.

 

DangBanana: written...... wanna do a collab?

 

WhippyWoman: What do you mean?

 

DangBanana: msg'ing ButterASS right now & she needs time too but has no story. if u give her ur script & she draws...

 

WhippyWoman: Oh. I see. Can I give her art direction?

 

DangBanana: idk. probably. msg & find out. gonna have to split the $ tho

 

WhippyWoman: Great. Thank you.

 

DangBanana: np

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: I laughed so hard when I came up with DangBanana. I don't know why.

 

On a development side note, this is where what was originally supposed to be a crack story turned into something a lot more cohesive. Occasionally I'm still dismayed at the tone shift, but considering I've written 500+ pages since then... Well, it's not ALL bad.

 

Oh yeah, you're gonna get daily updates for a while. Enjoy the ride.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It might not be the right time  
> I might not be the right one  
> But there's something about us, I want to say  
> 'Cause there's something between us anyway

/\/\/\/\/\

4 February 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

The update almost escaped Seifer's notice, except a change in the pay site's layout arranged everything in thumbnails instead of by release date and while he was figuring out the new interface, he happened to see a collaboration between Quistis and another artist on the site who went by ButterASS, who according to the artist page was a woman who liked to draw really large asses. Considering that Quistis's art style was strictly anatomically correct (almost stiffly so), the fact that she was giving up artistic control to someone who was definitely more stylized was very interesting. Seifer checked his schedule, locked the door, and then clicked on the update with some mixed trepidation. Was this collaboration purely imaginative, or...?

 

“Oh HELL no,” Seifer exclaimed as he began to read through the update. The changed character designs threw him for a loop and the setting was fantastic (both aesthetically and stylistically; ButterASS had chosen to get medieval with it), but he had lived this setting and the dialogue. Though what ensued after “I don't bite” was NOT the way things would have gone at all!

 

In fact, the more Seifer read, the angrier he found himself becoming. Even “I don't bite” wasn't the same. He had been honestly concerned with not scaring the shit out of Quistis, not that his care had apparently mattered! The fictional self was the exact kind of alpha-male, borderline rapist dickbag that Seifer despised.

 

Seifer knew full well he was an asshole to nearly everyone since respect had to be _earned_ , but there was no point in being an asshole to girls who were generous enough to grant him access to their wonderful parts.

 

Was this really what Quistis thought about him?

 

There was a pop of hurt before Seifer felt the surge of his old bad temper, the kind that as a child had made him impossible to adopt out, but he wasn't a kid anymore. Pushing away from the computer, Seifer took a brisk walk around the Garden to burn off the energy. People skittered out of his way as he breathed through his irritation and fortunately for them, Seifer didn't find anyone who needed discipline. He would only outright hit students if they were doing something really bad or were about to hurt someone else, but he had a way with words to make nearly anyone cry when he put his mind to it.

 

Seifer completed a circuit of the bottom floor and decided to go upstairs, because even though the classrooms were deserted, there was usually a couple making out in at least one of them or some cheater trying to get into the teacher consoles. As Seifer rode the elevator up, he folded his arms tightly and drummed his fingertips on his arm, his usual tic when he couldn't tap Hyperion on his shoulder. The walk and the time away from the computer had drained away the anger, leaving a hardened lump of irritation that seemed to scratch the inside of his skull and chest. Alright, so it was clear that Quistis was attracted to him, but more the _idea_ of him than the reality; otherwise she would never have created porn in the first, never have continued with it, and never have written him as...that. Fine. Whatever. _He_ knew he would never do that to her and honestly? Quistis probably knew that too.

 

Probably.

 

Seifer didn't mind most people being slightly scared of him, but he didn't want people to be actually be _afraid_ of him to the point of distrust. He worked best when people saw him as some sort of terrifying knight errant, the bully boy who'd break legs for a right cause. Since creating the Disciplinary Committee, Seifer had done just that on more than one occasion and over time, he, Fujin, and Raijin had fallen into three roles: Fujin was the good listener, Raijin was the sympathizer and the shoulder to cry on, and people came to Seifer when they wanted the hurt dealt out. And it was all good.

 

But that didn't mean he liked violence in _everything._ Especially sex. In Seifer's head, he drew a sharp line between sex and violence partly because of their opposing natures and also half in reaction to people obliquely telling him that he should be into that. Well, fuck those people. He wouldn't do that. He would _never_ do that.

 

It ran like a protective chant through his head as the elevator continued to rise. When the door dinged open on the second floor and Seifer looked up to meet Quistis's startled gaze, he immediately blurted out what was on his mind: “I would never do that.”

 

“Do...what?” She asked him, looking at him strangely. Obviously she had been working late; she was still in her SeeD uniform, her reading glasses were still on, and there was a valise in one hand that was filled with paperwork and her laptop. For once, her appearance was less than perfect; there was a slightly red mark on her cheek where she'd probably been resting her hand, strands of her hair escaped the clip and fuzzed out from the two locks she wore in front, and her sleeves were slightly pushed up to expose her wrists, since the SeeD uniforms had cufflinks that clacked against tables and keyboards when people were typing. In other words, Quistis did not look unapproachable today, being neither the cool Instructor nor the battle-ready SeeD. She just looked tired and confused.

 

“Is there something wrong with the elevator?” She asked, leaning in and looking around.

 

That was it. He was done with the jerkaround. To hell with the consequences, Seifer thought as he leaned down to say close to her ear, “I wouldn't take advantage of you like that bastard in the porn thing you wrote just now.”

 

Quistis dropped her valise with a loud thud. When Seifer looked at her, she had gone white as a sheet and perfectly still.

 

The elevator dinged annoyingly at them and to Seifer's surprise, Quistis straightened her glasses, grabbed her valise, and stepped into the elevator with him. She pushed the button to close the doors and looked up at him, or tried to. The color was starting to creep back to her face and boy, was it red. Seifer saw her start to hyperventilate a little bit.

 

Fine. Let her stew. Seifer leaned against the elevator wall and waited for her to apologize. This time of night, nobody was using the elevator, so he wasn't worried about them being interrupted. He watched as Quistis visibly struggled with what to say and in a minute, she sighed deeply and turned to face him, her posture stiff with bravado.

 

“What exactly did you have a problem with?” She asked him crisply, as though he was debating a grade on a test.

 

Seifer stared at her. “Let's see,” he said slowly. “First and foremost, you _do_ remember that I didn't touch you at all, right?”

 

“It's a work of erotic fiction,” said Quistis. “Touching is necessary.”

 

Seifer nearly exploded. “That's not what I—! Okay, fine. You win. But you honestly remember that I didn't leap on you like a hungry animal, right? That I backed off when I saw you didn't want to?”

 

“I...” Her gaze flickered, as though she wanted to look away. “I remember that. But backing away doesn't make a good story.”

 

“And semi-raping you does?”

 

“It's called dubcon. It's short for 'dubious consent'.”

 

“In the real world, that's called rape,” said Seifer, making Quistis flinch. “And maybe you missed that whole unit we took when we were twelve years old, but it was pretty explicitly stated that absence of a 'no' is not a 'yes'. And I find it pretty fucking insulting that a character you drew based on me, saying the things I said, would just run all over that. _I wouldn't do that._ ” As he watched her gaze drop to the floor, her shoulders shaking slightly, he added sarcastically, “Unless you _really_ wanted me to.”

 

He saw the shaking intensify for a long moment before Quistis took a deep breath and visibly calmed herself. _“What a neat trick,”_ thought Seifer as Quistis lifted her head and straightened her glasses, making the light flash off them. “Do you understand the term 'transgressive pornography'?” She asked him.

 

“Getting off on something you're not supposed to,” he snapped. He wasn't stupid.

 

“Essentially. And do you know what a bodice ripper is?”

 

What? “Is it a knife?”

 

“No,” said Quistis, not bothering to hide her patronizing smirk. As Seifer glared, she explained, “It is a form of erotic fiction. Probably the kind that immediately pops to mind when I say 'romance novel.'”

 

“Oh. You mean those ultra-cheesy, heaving-bosom things?”

 

“Yes. Do you know why they're popular?”

 

Seifer shrugged, but his confusion seemed to soften the edge of his anger. Quistis hoped she would explain things correctly. If she screwed this up, it wasn't just going to be a bad grade. Already she knew the shame of her ill-advised actions would be with her forever.

 

“The theory is that women buy romance novels in which the female characters completely surrender their agency because it represents an acceptable way to abdicate responsibility,” said Quistis, trying to explain things as clearly as possible. When Seifer stared at her in confusion, she kept going, hoping something would click. “In the safe, private confines of a romance novel, it is completely up to the reader to decide how much she wants to go through with, which is a measure of control that isn't always respected in real life. Therefore, the forceful, occasionally over-the-top 'dubious consent' of romance novels represents a safe and controlled way to experience a fantasy.”

 

“That's some bullshit,” said Seifer immediately. As Quistis opened her mouth to argue (because she knew quite a bit about female fantasy, thank you very much) Seifer shocked her by saying, “Characters have no agency. And for whatever reason, romance novel authors like to rob their leading ladies of the ability to say 'no', which makes it some _creepy_ bullshit.”

 

“What did you say?” Quistis said, shocked.

 

“I said it's creepy bullshit. I think it makes women think that men are supposed to act that way. Especially if you don't know any better.” He looked at her with sudden pain. “Please don't say you got your ideas about sex from _romance novels.”_

 

“No!” Quistis exclaimed, but the shock was still there. “Seifer... You... You can... _Talk_ about this?”

 

Now he stared at her like she was the dumb one. “I have a brain,” he said, tapping his head. “Not to mention, Fujin is one of my best friends and I don't tune her out when she starts talking about this stuff.”

 

“Fujin talks about romance novels?” Quistis asked, stunned. _“She talks in sentences?”_

 

“She talks about everything having to do with women!” He started to go on a mini-rant, saying, “You wanna talk about how many female-led films versus male-led films there were in the past ten years? She knows. You want to talk about society views female-led jobs as bad or not as deserving of pay? She knows. Which means Raijin and I know. Except I know to shut up and listen and he just...” Seifer dragged his hand over his face. “Never mind. Not important.”

 

“No,” said Quistis softly. “Very important.” She swallowed hard and looked down at the floor. “I'm sorry. Truly sorry. Of course it was wrong for me to...to alter our interaction like that, but I really didn't know it would hurt you so much. I... I thought most men liked being in control.”

 

“I like it when my partners are having fun and actually want to be with me,” said Seifer, making her glance up at him. He was still angry, but it was a controlled anger that was more like passion. “That is the single most important thing to me.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Seifer narrowed his eyes at her and looked her up and down. “You're a virgin, aren't you?”

 

Normally this would have been a wildly inappropriate question and Quistis would have slapped anyone who asked it, but considering everything that had gone on between them, Seifer deserved a fair answer. “Yes,” she admitted. “I do a lot of research, but... I'm sure it shows from time to time.”

 

“Yeah,” he said, leaning back against the elevator wall again. “Not to mention that you draw like an anatomy textbook.”

 

“That's what I have,” she said, slightly stung. And then embarrassed. “You've... Seen my work too?”

 

Seifer rolled his eyes a bit. “That's why we're having this conversation, isn't it?”

 

“Oh... True.” Quistis fiddled with her tie a bit. “So... You must have seen... The other things.”

 

“The Bad Teacher episodes?”

 

Quistis winced.

 

“Yeah...” said Seifer slowly. “I saw them.”

 

“...and?”

 

“Well... I didn't like the one of you and Squall so much—”

 

Quistis covered her face in both hands, too late to stop the blush from going up her cheeks. She felt hot, faint, a little nauseous, the most mortified she had ever been in her life. She turned around and put her face to the wall.

 

“Oh come on, don't do that,” said Seifer, sounding pained. “I'm not going to hurt you.”

 

“I'm doing this because I'm embarrassed, you idiot, not because I think you'll hurt me!” She snapped back.

 

“Oh.” Seifer was quiet for a moment. “Well... Good. Because I wouldn't.”

 

“I know,” she said, the shame roiling in her chest. Yet part of her also relaxed, soothed by his repeated assurances. He had been so angry about depicted as forceful in bed that Quistis couldn't help but wonder what he was actually like. “So... What did you think of the first one?”

 

“The first one?”

 

“The one with... The guy under the desk.” She couldn't even say the pastiche's name. _Oh god why had she chosen such a stupid name._

 

“Oh,” said Seifer in a shiver-inducing tone that made her want to turn around, or at least glance at him. “That. That was...”

 

“...yes?”

 

“...Pretty hot.”

 

Quistis heaved a sigh of relief. “Good,” she said, ignoring the flutter that went through her chest. “But you know, that was pretty dubious too. Blackmail and everything...”

 

“Yeah, but the way you ended it seemed to imply it was more evenhanded than it looked.”

 

“Oh... That was just meant to be teaser in case people liked it.”

 

“I was kinda surprised you went with a different student after that, actually.”

 

“Well...” If Seifer could talk about this calmly, so could she. Quistis dropped her hands from her face and tried to turn around, but apparently though her mind was willing, her body was completely locked up against further embarrassment. So she gripped the handrail going around the elevator instead and talked to the wall. “There's a reason for that. After our trip to the Lightning Forest and the thing with the ice cream, I couldn't stop thinking about...you. And it scared me, so I figured if I...tried something different, it would be better. And less distracting. I didn't know you knew. Did you know back then? About me...drawing stuff?”

 

“Yeah,” said Seifer, making her wince again. “I knew since that quiz you thought I cheated on.”

 

“ **I** never thought you cheated,” said Quistis, unconsciously glaring at him over her shoulder. He was still in the same position she'd last seen him in, arms folded, leaning against the wall, legs crossed at the ankle. She noted that he rested in such a way that she was closest to the buttons and the elevator door.

 

“Yeah, okay,” he said. “But since then, I knew about the porn.”

 

“How?”

 

“Well...” Now for whatever reason, he looked embarrassed. He was blushing for real. As Seifer cast his gaze to the side, he said, “I saw you doing this thing with your pencil.”

 

“What?”

 

“You were sort of...sucking on it, I guess.”

 

Quistis knew she _chewed_ her pencils when she was thinking, but she'd never thought of that as an erotic activity.

 

“Anyway, it looked like you were...either looking at me or Leonhart.” Seifer shifted uncomfortably. “And it was weird, so I told Fujin and Raijin. And then a while later, Raijin sends me this thing that looks...familiar.”

 

“Oh no,” Quistis groaned, shutting her eyes and turning back to the wall. “So they know too?”

 

“Well, Raijin does. At least. Fujin probably doesn't. She doesn't care about sex at all.” Seifer was quiet for a moment before he said, “We're not going to tell anyone, so your job is safe.”

 

“Oh.” She hadn't even thought about that. She had been so preoccupied with Seifer's anger and his dismay that the ramifications of this discovery in her own life hadn't even popped up. “Thank you.”

 

“You're welcome.”

 

“And I'm sorry. About everything.”

 

“It's okay,” said Seifer. When she studied his face, she saw a bit of his usual cocky smile coming back as he said, “If someone's going to have sexy thoughts about me, it's better if it's someone I 'like', right?”

 

“I...suppose,” said Quistis with a little laugh. That was the other thing that bothered her and kept her up at night; Quistis remembered what Seifer had said when he'd wanted to clear the air earlier and his awkward, stumbled-through confession was why she knew she couldn't create something out of what they'd almost done. It was why she needed to write it out and try to understand what was going through his head, except she didn't know anything about him and...

 

“ _If he really had pressed forward, I don't think I would have said no.”_

 

Never before had it been so terrifying to take responsibility for her own actions.

 

“ _Besides, do I like him? I find him physically attractive. And he's not only smarter than I gave him credit for, but...sensitive. Sensitive Seifer Almasy, what a weird concept. I know I shouldn't be impressed by him being a decent human being, but..._

 

“ _I suppose I never thought of him as one before.”_

 

That was a very unpleasant, very ugly thing to realize about oneself. Quistis hugged her valise to her chest and looked at the floor.

 

“Up or down?” He asked her.

 

“Huh?” Oh, they were still in the elevator. “Oh... Down.”

 

He took two steps across the elevator to push the button and Quistis couldn't help but study him as he drew near. She still felt that heat and that pull, all the more intense for his apparent disinterest. She knew he had to be thinking about what almost happened, otherwise he wouldn't have recognized the scenario and gotten so mad.

 

How would things have actually gone if she'd called out?

 

How would things have gone if she hadn't flinched away?

 

How often did second chances come around?

 

“ _I'm not a coward.”_

 

As Seifer reached out to push the button, Quistis grabbed his sleeve again. He looked at her hand first and then at her.

 

“What are you doing?” He asked, sounding purely confused.

 

“I...” She swallowed hard. “I...”

 

Stupid words. Words were stupid. So Quistis set her valise down, grabbed the lapels of Seifer's coat, and pulled him toward her.

 

“Hey!” Seifer caught himself on the handrail, bracing. “What the hell?”

 

It was wrong. Abort. Abort. “Oh, forget it!” Quistis half-shouted, letting go and turning away. She was shaking again, her breath rattling her chest.

 

Seifer slowly straightened his coat, thinking that Quistis was even crazier than he'd thought. He had a pretty good idea of what she had been trying to do, but he didn't like being yanked around physically either. Why was it so hard for her to just _talk_ to him? If she asked for a kiss, he wouldn't say no. He wouldn't give it a second thought.

 

Seifer turned and reached out to push the button, but it was like his body locked as soon as he touched the hard plastic. If the elevator went down and the doors opened, whatever weirdness was between them would turn into a wall. And Seifer didn't want to be tormented with what might have been. It was better to either end things before they started or see them through and end them properly.

 

“ _Yes or no. That's all I need to hear.”_

 

Quistis was still standing with her back to him, shaking hard. She'd told him earlier that this was just how she was when she was embarrassed, but it still looked like fear to him. What was she so scared of?

 

Fairly sure that she wasn't going to punch him or otherwise kill him, Seifer dropped his hand from the elevator buttons and instead reached out, touching her on the shoulder with just his fingertips. She flinched again and he had to bite down the automatic hurt.

 

“Is this okay?” He asked her softly.

 

She nodded once, jerkily, and carefully Seifer opened his hand to curl over her whole shoulder. He could feel the trembling now as well as see it and found himself wanting to hold her until the shivering stopped.

 

Quistis barely breathed as Seifer gently squeezed her shoulder. He was being so restrained when so much inside her was roaring for passion and force. But just as loud was the voice of duty and professionalism telling her that this was a mistake, that she would lose everything she had worked for; her license, her reputation, her...self. That was why she couldn't turn around as Seifer laid his other hand on her other shoulder, even though he did nothing but stand quietly and breathe. She knew what he was doing and was thankful and resentful at the same time; it wasn't like she would run away from him.

 

“ _Even if we weren't trapped in an elevator, I still wouldn't run. I'm not a coward.”_

 

Quistis was still shaking like she wanted to bolt. On some level, Seifer was sure she wanted to. Here the two of them were, stuck in a small elevator that wasn't going anywhere, and he was touching her more personally than...anyone, probably. He should have felt honored by that, but instead Seifer breathed against the surge of damnable desire in his blood that made him want to hold Quistis against him whether she liked it or not. He was close enough that he could smell her shampoo, which reminded him of nectarines. He really liked nectarines.

 

“Can I kiss you?” Seifer asked, feeling more nervous than the actual first kiss he'd ever had. That one must have been alright because he couldn't even remember it, but this felt like standing on the edge of a cliff. He waited with bated breath.

 

“ _Yes,”_ thought Quistis, but she couldn't make the words come out. She tried to nod, but that didn't work either. Stupid body. So Quistis did the best she could, closing her eyes and leaning until she felt Seifer's chest against her back. He was warm, solid, and all at once she felt something shiver over her, making her knees feel weak as all the blood in her body seemingly rushed through her chest.

 

This was a yes, right? Seifer really wanted this moment to be a yes, because the soft pressure of her body against his made him ache with wanting. He squeezed her shoulder a little bit, feeling the tightness she carried. He wanted to soothe it out of her with kisses until she melted and then fuck her until she lost all her inhibitions. But nothing was going to happen unless she said yes.

 

“Please?” He asked very softly, barely above a whisper.

 

“ _Say yes, say yes, say yes,”_ Quistis raged at her still lips, her terror-locked throat. It was so frustrating! What was the worst that could happen, that he'd be a bad kisser? No, the worst was that he would be good. That he would be amazing and and all she had to do was say yes. Say yes and finally experience what she'd lost so many nights thinking about.

 

“ _It's just a kiss. Just one little kiss.”_

 

“Yes,” she managed to croak out.

 

“What was that?”

 

“Yes,” Quistis repeated more loudly, though not more confidently. “You can k-k-kiss me.”

 

FINALLY. Seifer resisted the urge to spin her around, telling himself that until she stopped shaking like a leaf in the wind, he needed to go slow. So slow that it nearly killed him, that's how slow he needed to go with an inexperienced virgin. Regardless of how things went and/or ended between them, he was not going to be the one to scare her off intimacy tonight. So Seifer leaned down and kissed behind her ear, hearing her gasp as soon as his lips touched her skin.

 

A shockwave seemed to roll out from the place where Seifer kissed her, pouring like water over her skin and making her blood vibrate in her veins. Her skin tightened up, making her hyperaware of his breath and his nearness as he kissed her neck this time, somehow finding a spot that was so sensitive that she nearly collapsed. A noise that she didn't have a name for fluttered past her parted lips and she felt both his hands come to rest on her shoulders, his fingers flexing restlessly.

 

Now that he was determined to settle in for a long ride, Seifer concentrated on what Quistis was telling him with her soft noises and her trembling. If that little moan had been any indication, she really liked that spot. So he kissed her neck again, nipping ever so gently, and felt her press her behind against his hips. It was probably unconscious, but Seifer sucked his breath over his teeth as dull, warm pleasure radiated out from that contact, rattling his resolve to go slowly. He wanted to press back.

 

Quistis let go of her arms with fingers that were half-cramped from holding on so tight, and it felt good to stretch out the fine tendons as she put her hands on the elevator wall. She heard Seifer's breath catch as she pushed against the wall slowly, pressing herself to him more completely. It was one thing to read about and write about erections, but words failed her now that she felt the reality straining through his clothes, so hard and strange that it didn't feel real. Yet even here there was warmth, a very enticing heat that made Quistis's hips ache with instinctual imperative. Unwilling she started to wonder if sex in the real world was really all it was cracked up to be...

 

It felt like Quistis wanted to sprint ahead now, but Seifer was not about to misread anything. Grasping Quistis's shoulders more firmly, he turned her around to face him and nearly groaned aloud at the look in her eyes. She was staring up at him through those flimsy little reading glasses, blue eyes very wide and shining with uncertainty and desire. The flush on her porcelain-pale cheeks drew attention to her soft, plump lips. He loved looking at her mouth even when she was yelling at him, and seeing her lips parted in desire because of something _he_ was doing... It was almost too much. Seifer nevertheless eased his grip and slid his hands from her shoulders to her face, cupping her cheeks in his palms. His fingertips brushed over her ears and tickled against her hairline as he very carefully, very gently tilted her face up to meet his.

 

Quistis couldn't breathe when she finally looked Seifer in the eyes. How long had he looked her like she was something fragile and precious? She couldn't recall ever seeing that look in anyone's eyes before, at least not anyone who actually knew what she was capable of. People did underestimate her because of her looks and her slight build, but this was different. Seifer knew what she could do and wasn't scared off by it. He had seen her when she was annoyed and covered in blood and didn't think any less of her for it. It struck her that maybe Seifer was moving so carefully, so slowly, because he was just as nervous as she was. He didn't want to be rejected again. The softest gasp of understanding was all Quistis managed to get out before she felt his mouth on hers and oh...oh my. Quistis closed her eyes to drown in the softness of his lips, the achingly chaste and intimate contact, and how in this instant, everything she ever wanted was right here.

 

Seifer absently thought that this was everything a first kiss should be as he felt Quistis sigh against his lips and then let him kiss her like she deserved to be. She was so stiff with all her responsibilities that even a little kiss like this made her shake like she would fall apart, and maybe she would. Clearly Quistis wanted more on some level, and if the way she shivered and reached for him was any indication, there was a wellspring of passion inside her that he wanted a taste of. Poor Quistis Trepe, so brilliant and so alone. Seifer growled softly as a possessiveness came over him, as well as the idea that he'd make it so she couldn't think of sharing herself with anyone other than him. He wanted all her firsts. Seifer kissed her with just a little more heat and felt her lips part; taking that as an invitation, he deepened their kiss and felt her moan.

 

Quistis felt like she was going to faint. She found herself clutching the lapels of Seifer's coat again, pulling him against her as she curled into him. He took a half-step forward or stumbled, something, but they bumped into the corner and Quistis cried out as Seifer shifted his leg to grind against her; she panted as sensation, electrifying and numbing at the same time, blossomed through her hips. Seifer dropped one hand from her face to press against her back and his other hand he wove into her hair, tugging against the clip. When Quistis pushed her head against the wall to make him stop that, he took that as an invitation to kiss her neck and Quistis cried out again as he kissed down the front of her neck, pushing the collar of her jacket aside with an impatient brush of his chin. The touch of his lips on her collarbone made Quistis's hands curl into fists in his coat.

 

Abruptly the elevator lurched. They froze. As the elevator ascended, they sprang apart like—well, they were guilty teenagers—and rapidly got themselves back into order. Quistis fussed with her hair and picked up her valise while Seifer seized the edges of his coat and yanked it closed around him; his clothes were dark but overhead lighting was no one's friend. They put themselves in opposite corners with expressions of innocence on their faces as the elevator slowed, the doors dinged open, and Headmaster Cid and Xu appeared.

 

“Oh,” said Cid, blinking. “I'm sorry, I had no idea anyone was in the elevator. Were you two headed down?”

 

“I was,” said Quistis, making her voice as light and normal as she could. “I'm done for the night.”

 

“I was headed up,” said Seifer. “Patrol.”

 

“Well, the third floor is most assuredly clear,” said Cid, stepping into the elevator. Xu followed a step behind, a somewhat quizzical look on her face as she regarded first Seifer, then Quistis. Seifer ignored her, something he'd had plenty of practice at. Quistis also pretended to ignore Xu, but that was because she was afraid her friend could see something.

 

“Is the Cafeteria still open?” Xu asked Seifer.

 

“Not open-open, but they had the snacks out when I passed by,” he said.

 

“Perfect,” said Cid, rubbing his hands together. “It's cheesecake day.”

 

“You should have fruit instead,” said Xu with a frown. “It's better for you.”

 

“No no, if we're going to finish the curriculum revisions tonight, I will need the sugar.”

 

“Curriculum revisions?” Quistis asked, concerned.

 

“For next year,” said Xu reassuringly. “Once Cid and I are done, we'll release the new guidelines and talk to all the faculty at once.”

 

“Anything significant?”

 

“No, more like tweaks.” Xu looked at Seifer suddenly, frowning. “Don't tell anyone, okay?”

 

“Tell them what?” He asked her scornfully. “ 'Bad news, kids, you have to study'?”

 

Xu looked like she wanted to snap at him but Cid laughed, which defused her reaction into an eye roll.

 

The elevator slowed to a stop at the second floor. Almost too late Seifer remembered that he was planning to patrol, so he excused himself and walked down the hallway. It was almost impossible not to look over his shoulder and see if Quistis was following him, because as annoying as that interruption had been, everything before had been...wow. She couldn't just forget about that, could she?

 

“ _I know_ I _won't.”_

 

Seifer got a bit of a wicked idea and went to Quistis's classroom, which was unlocked (the only Instructors who regularly locked their classes were Firearms and Incendiaries, for obvious reasons). He resisted the urge to switch on the light since the stars and moon outside were bright enough though the windows, and Seifer eyed Quistis's desk. Feeling a bit stupid but also good about things, Seifer walked over, pushed the chair out of the way, and climbed underneath the desk. It was surprisingly roomy. He could definitely get on his knees, as well as lie down on his back as long as he bent his legs. Wasn't that interesting?

 

The lights switched on and Seifer froze, adrenaline making his heart race. Was it Quistis? Was something amazing about to happen?

 

And then a mechanical whirr made him curse softly. It was the fucking cleaning crew. Seifer nearly rolled out from under the desk in disgust, but then thought about how it would look and decided that there was no good way to explain what he was doing. At best, he was weird. At worst, he could be suspected of tampering with an Instructor's console. So Seifer stayed very still and listened to where the whirring was going. If the custodian decided to clean the room from front to back, he was going to get found out very quickly.

 

Instead the whirring cut out. Seifer heard footsteps go to the back of the room. Then he heard the whirring pick up again, and when Seifer cautiously rolled out from under the desk, he saw the elderly custodian bobbing his head to whatever was playing over his earphones. Seifer eyed the distance from the desk to the door and decided he could make it; he leapt and landed in a roll, throwing himself out into the hallway.

 

“What are you doing?” A female voice gasped, dashing his feeling of accomplishment. Seifer looked up and saw it was Quistis. Yesss.

 

But also, “Uhh...”

 

“Were you in the classroom?”

 

“Obviously,” he said, getting to his feet.

 

“Why?” She asked, that fine blush rising to her cheeks again.

 

“Oh... I think you know why,” he said, grinning at her. “I do fit under that desk, by the way.”

 

She turned away, covering her face. But he was sort of used to that by now and stepped up behind her, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

 

“You know... If you want to...”

 

“Oh no, no, no, no...” Quistis laughed nervously, taking a few brisk steps away. Then she slowed and stopped and looked over her shoulder, looking at him over the top of her glasses in a very beguiling way. “Well...maybe.”

 

“Maybe?” Seifer repeated, his grin becoming broader.

 

“Maybe,” she said firmly.

 

“Will I have to be very bad?”

 

“More like very, _very_ good.”

 

“I can do good,” he said and frowned as Quistis started to laugh. “What?”

 

“Nothing,” she said, waving her hand at him. “It's not you, I promise.”

 

There wasn't actually anything for them to do on the second floor, so they went back to the elevator. Seifer assumed she'd told Xu and Cid that she'd forgotten something and needed to go back up, which made him feel pretty good about things. This time when they got in the elevator, Seifer waited until the doors dinged shut before reaching out for Quistis.

 

To his shock, she smacked his hands away.

 

“I'm sorry, did I hallucinate earlier?” He asked her incredulously. The backs of his hands stung worse than if she'd hit him with the whip. “Because I thought we had a moment.”

 

“That doesn't mean you can grab me whenever you like,” she said stiffly.

 

“Okay,” said Seifer warily. “Can I 'grab' you now?”

 

Quistis pursed her lips. “...Yes.”

 

“ _She's like a cat,”_ thought Seifer with some exasperation. He briefly entertained holding his hand out for her to sniff, but decided she wouldn't stop at smacking him if he tried.

 

Still, it was a relief to know that she would shut him down hard if she didn't like anything. This entire time Seifer had been worried that she'd been too scared to say 'no', when in reality it was 'yes' that Quistis had problems with. That could be worked with.

 

Seifer stepped close and despite his earlier joke thought about Quistis and cats, he lifted his hands and ran them down her hair, behind her ears, and lightly down her face until he traced the edges of her jaw with his fingertips. At once her wary expression softened, making heat flutter through his blood. Seifer ran his hands lightly down her shoulders and arms, catching her free hand and tugging on it lightly. She took a step forward and he bent down slightly to kiss her on the lips. Once again he felt the heat and the passion surge between them, rapidly building with every subtle movement of their bodies until it was like they had never been interrupted.

 

Quistis had written about hard sex, furious sex, rip-your-clothes-off sex for such a long time that this agonizingly slow, sweet buildup was infinitely more arousing than the boldest declaration would have been. She was keen to the heat of his gloved fingers in her palm, the proximity of his body to hers, and how even though they were just barely touching, she could seemingly feel the shuddering waves of his desire. Quistis was still holding her valise and didn't want to drop her laptop again, but she really wished she could hold onto him like she had before. She really, really wanted to feel the entire press of his body against hers...

 

“ _Oh, to hell with it.”_

 

She dropped her valise to pull him toward her, but as soon as the valise hit the floor, there was an ominous cracking noise. Quistis immediately pulled away and looked down.

 

“Oh no!” She gasped, seeing her papers and her laptop all over the floor. The hinge had cracked. Passion forgotten, Quistis dropped to her knees and rapidly began scooping everything up before Seifer could see anything. His final grades were in there.

 

His...grades...

 

Oh Hyne, what the hell was she doing?

 

She jumped as Seifer knelt on the elevator floor and helped her gather her things, a somewhat bemused smile on his face. Her reservations softened in the face of what she knew about him now. He was still arrogant, still forceful, still... Him. And so much more. A slightly painful sensation that had nothing to do with lust made her chest hurt a bit and it took her a moment to realize that it was _like._ She _liked_ him.

 

Shit.

 

“I think you need a new bag,” he said, holding out a stack of papers. “Fujin can probably make some recommendations.”

 

Oh shit. If she sought out his posse, then she would be making friends with his friends. They might...hang out. Where people could see them. The thought of all the strange looks directed her way, their way, made her cringe inside. She could already hear the gossip, the confused queries, couldn't she do better than _Seifer Almasy?_ Xu would be really pissed. And the faculty would never shut up about how she'd abused her position to seduce a student...

 

Seifer could see Quistis start to withdraw already and tried not to be annoyed, though he was dismayed. Wasn't there anything that could shut her brain off for a while, so she could just relax and be her age, her self? Her real self?

 

“ _Yes, because you are possessed of maaagical lips that can undo years of discipline and self-control,”_ sneered his inner bastard. Or maybe it was his conscience, which often sounded like the same thing. _“Look at it from her perspective for once.”_

 

The problem was that Seifer wasn't sure why Quistis was freaking out right now. He only knew that the beautiful woman with the amazing laugh and the untapped passion was slipping away before his eyes. She'd already told him she wasn't afraid of him and he knew she liked kissing him, so...

 

“I won't tell anyone,” he said, shooting in the dark. “Not even Fujin and Raijin. I know how hard you've worked to get where you are.”

 

Quistis winced. Him being thoughtful and considerate made her feel like an idiot for even worrying about things that might not come to pass, but one of them had to think about the future. Seifer was famous for never thinking about the future, though she did envy the way he was able to direct his attention on the present... Especially if that present included her and the way he looked at her when they kissed. Unconsciously she bit her lip, remembering the feel of his mouth on hers and the way he tasted. Heat roiled up over her skin again.

 

“This is very new,” she whispered to him. “I'm not used to... Everything. I don't know what's going to happen.”

 

“I don't know either,” said Seifer. “But I swear to you, whatever happens, I am not going to be one of those crazy weirdos who ruins you because things don't go the way I like.”

 

Quistis couldn't help but laugh, both at his phrasing and from relief. The way he had of picking out things that were very real and yet hadn't crossed her mind was something else.

 

“Well, thank you,” she said, picking up everything with far less anxiety. “So... I guess...”

 

“One day at a time?”

 

“That...sounds good.”

 

“Okay,” said Seifer with a nod. “In that case, can I ask for some of your time? In about two days, after classes?”

 

“Uh...in what capacity?” Quistis asked uncertainly.

 

“I don't know,” he said, shrugging. “Mostly I just really want to kiss you in a place that's not an elevator, and two days gives us both time to figure out an excuse.”

 

Quistis laughed again. “I can't argue with that logic,” she said, finding herself smiling at him. “The elevator is a little cramped.”

 

“And in the middle of everything.”

 

“Yes.” They finished gathering up her things and Quistis pushed the 1F button. As the elevator lurched down, Quistis turned and half-expected to find Seifer at her shoulder, but instead he was across the elevator, arms folded and ankles crossed. Quistis counted in her head. It usually took the elevator about fifteen seconds to get down to the bottom floor and three seconds had already elapsed...

 

Seifer made a muffled noise of surprise as she quickly crossed the space and kissed him on the lips, going up on her tiptoes to meet him. She knew she wasn't the best kisser but she knew he liked it when he unfolded her arms and reached out for her; however, the broken valise she was holding against her chest made embracing awkward. She felt Seifer huff in annoyance before she felt his hot leatherclad palms on her face: it never failed to surprise her how he kissed in such a tender way. How many other women had he kissed like this? She really hoped the answer was none. Quistis really hoped he wasn't comparing her immature technique to anyone else with more polish, anyone he'd rather be with right now.

 

Four seconds after Quistis had pushed the button was when they started kissing. It was difficult for Quistis to keep count in her head when Seifer was kissing so persuasively, making her want to hit the stop button and prolong their time together (how were they plausibly going to get together in two days?), but she wanted to leave him confused and breathless for once. Three seconds until the end of the elevator ride, Quistis pulled back and smiled at the bewildered look on his face.

 

“Huh,” he said, having just enough time to smile at her before the elevator slowed and opened. It was hard for Quistis to have anything but the most polite and professional smile on her face as she walked back to her room, but somehow she managed.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Art here: http://klepto-maniac0.tumblr.com/post/118545344122/from-chapter-6-of-new-seed-the-hand-position-is#notes and http://klepto-maniac0.tumblr.com/post/116121232006/not-the-exact-scene-but-close-enoughi-just-love#notes

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's get lost you can take me home  
> Somewhere nice we can be alone

/\/\/\/\/\

 

5 February 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

 

Mindful of what he'd promised Quistis, Seifer did not tell Fujin and Raijin what he'd been up to, but they'd been friends long enough that they immediately knew something was up. And for two days, they badgered him as only they knew how, Raijin mostly by begging and whining and Fujin by staring until Seifer found himself sweating. He managed to keep his mouth shut, but the near-constant botheration also meant that he didn't have time to think about how he could meet Quistis in any sort of private, plausible capacity. Too bad he'd already taken his GF test and hadn't needed any field hours in a long time, because a nice walk away from the Garden sounded very, very good. The weather was nice, so Seifer could easily imagine finding a secluded hill far away, laying his coat down and then...

 

Apparently Quistis had thought the same thing, because two days later before the start of the class, she motioned for him to come up to the desk and asked him, “Are you busy after class?”

 

“No,” said Seifer, trying to sound like the hardass who had never had Quistis Trepe trembling for his kisses.

 

“Good,” she said, handing him a file. “Then you're going to come with me to pick up new specimens for the Training Center.”

 

“What?”

 

She gave him a look that was all 'good teacher', mixed with a healthy dose of professional SeeD.

 

“We received a shipment of Grat sprouts and two juvenile T-Rexaurs, and someone needs to pick them up from Balamb,” she said. “Your latest vehicular assessment shows that you could use some hours.”

 

“So you want me to drive to Balamb and pick up baby monsters?”

 

“I'll supervise,” said Quistis, looking back at her desk. “Don't worry, I won't let the monsters get you.”

 

Seifer heard a couple of students in the front row snicker at him and glared at them, but only to cover the flutter of idiotic glee in his chest. Even with the monsters in the backseat, he was still going to be in a car alone with Quistis for at least an afternoon.

 

It was impossible to concentrate on class after that, especially because Quistis gave them reading and that meant everyone had their heads down. Seifer did not keep his head down and kept looking restlessly at Quistis, who was working on something with every appearance of attention. She was scribbling away very busily...

 

Wait.

 

Scribbling? Or drawing?

 

Seifer felt his heart skip a beat and then just stop beating for a while, because holy fuck, if Quistis was doing what he thought she was doing, then he was the luckiest man on the planet to be able to spend hours in a car with _her._ She would have to show him, right? It wasn't like Seifer hadn't seen her work before. What was she doing? What was she working on? Was it something about them?

 

...Was it a playbook for how she wanted their outing to go?

 

Seifer dragged his hand over his mouth. Anybody looking at him would probably think he was annoyed by the reading: across the aisle from him, Squall glanced over, shook his head slightly, and went back to his own console. Normally irritated by the brunet's indifference, Seifer instead felt like laughing. It seemed like nothing was going to ruin his mood today.

 

“ _Calm down. It's probably just paperwork. Don't get crazy. Don't get ahead of yourself.”_

 

Seifer put his head down and tried to read, but the words blurred before his eyes and time had never seemed to go by so slowly. At some point in time Quistis stood up and started handing out papers to students. Seifer tracked her progress and realized that the way she was going, she would reach him last. He tried not to squirm with impatience, especially when he saw that she was handing back written quizzes. He remembered taking one of those last week but had no idea how he might have done. Aroused curiosity now warred with worries about grades, which was not a good combination.

 

Quistis handed Squall his quiz, having to drop it in front of his face since he was too absorbed to take it from her. When she turned to him, Seifer already had his hand out and Quistis looked at him with a bit of mild surprise. But there was a little smile on her lips that made him grin and silently she made a little gesture with her finger for him to turn the paper over. Seifer obeyed and nearly gasped aloud.

 

She had drawn a picture of herself in sexy black lingerie on the back of his quiz, hair down and perched on the corner of a bed.

 

Quistis forced herself to be as calm and silent as possible when she saw Seifer's face turn red and the paper start to shake slightly in his hand. This was _fun._ She walked away then, lacing her hands behind his back and waiting for the second, less fun part of the surprise, which was on the front side of the quiz. Quistis was almost back to her desk when she heard Seifer's muttered swear, and when she looked over her shoulder, he was pointing at his grade. 78/100. She looked at him archly, which made him stare incredulously, which made her look him over the top of her glasses, and finally made Seifer huff and sit back in his seat.

 

“ _I'm not committing academic perjury for you,”_ thought Quistis as she went back behind her desk and swept eraser crumbs off her console. _“No matter how good of a kisser you are.”_

 

Quistis sat down and glanced at Seifer. He looked like he was about to sulk, but then she saw him flip the quiz over and start to smile again. She trusted he wouldn't read too much into that doodle since he'd seen far more graphic things and had been very respectful indeed, but since that drawing was for his eyes alone... Well, there was a possibility he might take it as an invitation.

 

Which she sort of hoped he would, because Quistis was wearing that set of lace underthings right now. Seifer probably thought they were black. In reality, the lace bra and panty were a soft purplish rose that was just a shade pinker than her own skin.

 

She'd gone out shopping with Xu ages ago and Xu had cajoled her into buying something other than sensible white, nude, and black. “Just in case,” Xu had said, paying for the lacy set that Quistis had eyed all afternoon and declined to buy since she was single. Xu would probably explode if she knew that Quistis was wearing the special set for Seifer, but Quistis had already decided that enough was enough. Frankly, her relative lack of development in certain areas at _this_ age was an embarrassment and Quistis was not about to pretend that mere biology was more significant than it was. Look how terrified she'd been with just _kissing._ Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. That was why Quistis was determined to see things through even though a part of her seemed to squirm and flail at the speed of the action.

 

“ _It'll get the fever for Seifer out of my blood if we just get it over with. It's all hormones at this point.”_

 

Class ended and the students filtered out, three Trepies staying behind. Normally Quistis didn't mind talking to them, but today she wondered how to get rid of them as fast as possible.

 

“So you're picking up monsters today?” Asked Alia, her eyes bright.

 

“Yes,” said Quistis. “We have to restock the Training Center every now and then since it's too dangerous to have them breeding on their own.”

 

“Seems like a dangerous assignment,” said Brount, casting a sidelong glance at Seifer as he came up the aisle. Quistis followed his line of sight but instead watched Seifer as he tucked the quiz into his inner coat pocket, folded to hide the sketch.

 

“Not really,” said Quistis to Brount, trying not to be annoyed. “The Grat sprouts are frozen and the juvenile T-Rexaurs are heavily sedated.”

 

“Who's in charge of ordering monsters?” Asked Nina, tilting her head. “It'd be nice to fight something different for a change.”

 

“Grats are fine to perfect Drawing skills on,” said Quistis. “And it's more of a question as to what survives in our Training Center versus what we would like to see.”

 

“But we're going to kill them anyway, so—”

 

“Not an excuse to waste expensive resources,” said Quistis, trying not to sound impatient. As Seifer approached, she said, “Prepare your junction and GF. I'll see you in the garage.”

 

He grunted like nothing was different, but she imagined she saw a smile on his face. She could only imagine the look he'd have when he saw what she was wearing.

 

“Please excuse me,” said Quistis to the Trepies with a smile. “I have to get ready to go.”

 

The Trepies bid her farewell and let her go about the business of supervising a driving mission. Not bothering to change out of her uniform, Quistis got her weapon, junctioned Shiva from her private console, and checked her magic before going to the garage. Just because monster pickup was essentially a milk run didn't mean she shouldn't be prepared.

 

To her immense shock, Seifer was waiting in the garage already and wearing his cadet uniform. He hadn't worn it since being appointed head of the Disciplinary Committee over a year ago and apparently he'd packed on the muscle since then since it looked just a bit tight in the best sort of way.

 

“I should look official if we're on official business, right?” Seifer asked her, tilting his head. He'd guessed rightly; the sight of him in his student uniform was making her want to be a _very_ bad teacher indeed. It was hard not to smirk at her.

 

“Yes,” she said, swallowing her shock. The unique thrill of transgressive pleasure made Quistis feel shivery inside as she approached the checkout counter and got the keys. The vehicle for the monsters was an armored van with especially heavy protection between the passenger compartment and the holding area in the back. The windows were also made of bulletproof and magic-repellent glass, which tinted them a dark purple. Quistis handed Seifer the keys as they approached the vehicle, noting that his gunblade was oiled and sharpened. That made her feel better, knowing that Seifer hadn't completely turned his head off either.

 

Not right now, anyway.

 

“Driving an armored car is different from a regular vehicle,” she said to Seifer as they climbed up and in. “The center of gravity is higher and the turn radius is rather large, so keep that in mind when you're moving.”

 

“Okay, okay.” They buckled in and Quistis watched to make sure Seifer checked the mirrors, made sure the doors were locked, and started the vehicle. Internally she braced; the last student she'd taken out for motor hours had no in-between when it came to slamming on the brakes or the gas, but Seifer had a fine touch with both and also shifted smoothly enough that Quistis only felt the changing of gears if she was waiting for it. This promised to be a pleasant trip in more ways than one.

 

“So how much time do we have?” He asked her as they exited the Garden.

 

“It usually takes people about two and a half hours to do this run,” she said, looking at him sidelong.

 

“Do I get marked down if I blow a tire and have to change it?”

 

“You are _not_ damaging Garden property,” she told him severely.

 

“Of course not,” he said. “But if we hit something and have to make a stop...”

 

“I'll note it in my report,” said Quistis, smiling reluctantly. “And also say that you're handy with vehicles.”

 

“Heh.”

 

“Why are you speeding up?”

 

“The sooner we 'get' to Balamb, the more free time we have, right?”

 

Quistis laughed and leaned against the car door, looking at Seifer with something that felt dangerously like fondness. Life had become so strange.

 

She looked out the window and watched Balamb Garden disappear behind a hill in the side mirror. As soon as the last bit of the whirling Centran halo vanished from sight, Quistis unbuckled her seatbelt and slid across the bench seat. Seifer glanced at her but did not take his eyes off the road.

 

“What are you doing?” He asked.

 

“Do you know what I liked most about the first Bad Teacher episode?”

 

Seifer laughed, the sound coming out in a surprised bark. “Why don't you tell me?”

 

Remembering how sensitive the spot behind her ear had been, Quistis leaned forward and kissed Seifer behind his. He shivered, which made her grin and kiss him again.

 

“ _Gah, that tickles,”_ thought Seifer, resisting the urge to rub his ear on his shoulder.

 

“I liked how I got to be in control,” she said, touching the collar of his jacket. It had a very small, discreet pull tab that she nevertheless found with ease and Seifer stared as she drew it down. “And how you... Couldn't do anything.”

 

“I could stop this car,” he told her, intrigued.

 

“But I'd prefer if you didn't.”

 

Seifer growled and to soften his ire, Quistis nibbled on his ear. To her surprise, Seifer burst out laughing.

 

“That _really_ tickles,” he told her, looking at her in amusement. “If I'm gonna wreck the car, I'd rather do it the fun way.”

 

Quistis blushed. It was not fair that he could still get the upper hand while he was occupied. Nevertheless, the fact that he couldn't respond with a hundred percent of his attention was arousing, and it made Quistis feel more wanton than she felt comfortable admitting. She pulled the zipper of his coat all the way down and when the two halves of the jacket popped open, Quistis smiled and let her hand drift down to Seifer's belt.

 

“Hey now,” he said, glancing down. “I wasn't serious about wrecking the car.”

 

“Then you should keep your eyes on the road,” she said playfully. When he looked at her in surprised disbelief, she plucked at his shirt and saw his eyes gleam with interest. Oh yes, teasing was fun indeed. Quistis felt like laughing and biting him at the same time, anything to startle a reaction out of him. She pressed her hand over Seifer's heart and felt it beating hard even though the bone and muscle. Most older SeeD cadets were built just due to the nature of their education, but Seifer was one of the lucky few that put on muscle attractively and Quistis wondered what he'd look like with his shirt off. She tugged on the buttons on the collared shirt he wore underneath his cadet jacket.

 

“Hey,” he said, glancing at her. “The front window isn't tinted, you know.”

 

“There's no one around for miles,” said Quistis, anticipation making her feel shivery inside. “Pull over behind the next hill.”

 

“Okay,” said Seifer, resisting the urge to yank the wheel over immediately.

 

The next hill was more properly a hillock, more like a mound of dirt than anything providing real cover, but there was no one around for miles and as soon as Seifer got the armored van in park, Quistis was on him like she couldn't breathe and he was air. Overwhelmed by her passion, Seifer let her kiss him hard and push him against the door, half-afraid that any move he made would turn her back into the frightened girl in the elevator. He did wrap his arms around her waist and shift so they lay on the bench seat and when Quistis ground her hips against his, Seifer swore and found himself pulling up on the hem of her skirt. Why did SeeD women wear miniskirts? He had no idea but he was so happy that they did.

 

“Are you sure about this?” He had to ask.

 

“Let's see,” said Quistis, pushing herself up. She yanked off her tie and jacket and Seifer was stunned speechless at the sight of the lacy pinkish-purplish lingerie she was wearing. It looked rather familiar, which was a bizarre thing to think about something he'd never seen. And lingerie aside, Quistis was more beautiful than any model, strong and soft where it counted, her pink nipples just barely hidden by swirls of lace and strategic seaming. “I think I am.”

 

“Oh, damn,” Seifer gasped as Quistis undid his belt and whipped it off. At once he grabbed her hand, shock and panic surging through his veins. “Hey! Stop. Stop.”

 

“Why?” She asked him breathlessly. “What's wrong?”

 

“I...” Seifer braced himself. “I didn't carry anything. I didn't bring a condom.”

 

Quistis blinked at him. Seifer tensed, anticipating that she'd either hit him for assuming or...

 

WHACK across the chest and damn, did she put some heat into it.

 

“Why wouldn't you?” Quistis demanded, sounding outraged.

 

“I wasn't sure what you wanted to do,” said Seifer, suddenly realizing that Quistis was in a prime position to choke him to death. She looked mad enough to do it too. Seifer swallowed and said, “I figured we'd make out for a while and call it a day. Everything is in my other coat.”

 

Quistis groaned and tried to tell herself that it was nice that Seifer was so considerate. Still, disappointment felt like a stab in the chest. She almost felt upset enough to cry. When would they ever get an opportunity like this again?

 

And what would happen in the meantime? Would she obsess endlessly over Seifer? If she just had sex, could she stop thinking about him and... Oh, move onto someone else? Someone who wasn't a student, who didn't annoy the hell out of her best friend, who didn't annoy _her_ more than half the time? Someone who didn't have a reputation for playing fast and loose? That was the last thing she wanted to be, a notch in someone's belt, but Seifer had been so nice so far... And she didn't think he'd keep score like that... Still...

 

“ _Oh, I should have known this was a stupid idea!”_ She thought, flushing with mortification. _“It's never that simple, is it?”_

 

Seifer could see her tensing up, getting upset. Fortunately he was a man of resources.

 

“Come on,” he said. “We can do something else.”

 

“Like what?” She asked, sounding irritated.

 

Seifer grinned. It was easier to show than tell. He hoped he wouldn't get smacked as he reached for her. For a second it looked like he would, because Quistis tensed up even more as his arms went around her and the trembling was back even though she could actually look him in the eye now.

 

“You know you can say no at any time, right?” He asked, suddenly wondering if that was why she was having the nervous shakes.

 

“Of course I do,” she muttered, turning red.

 

“Okay, then... Are you alright?”

 

“I'm fine.”

 

She didn't feel fine. When he told her so, she actually glared at him. And then wriggled out of his grasp and started putting her clothes back on.

 

“Hey, come on—”

 

“No! If you think I'm so... So bad at everything and knowing what I want to do, then just drive!”

 

Seifer nearly threw his hands in the air and did just that, but he happened to catch the look on her face. Quistis was not only red-cheeked, but there was a suspicious glimmer in her eyes. Seifer's mouth fell open in shock and something seemed to punch him in the chest.

 

“Quistis,” he said, making her glare at him again. “What is your—I mean, what are you so upset about?”

 

“Just drive,” she muttered, already sounding more embarrassed than angry.

 

“No,” he said, folding his arms. “Not until you say what you're actually thinking. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like the initiative, but where's the fire?”

 

Quistis turned and looked out the window. For a moment Seifer thought she wasn't going to say anything and almost resigned himself to starting up the car again and driving, but then Quistis sighed and stared talking to the glass.

 

“It was a stupid idea.”

 

“What?”

 

“Trying to get it over with.” Quistis closed her eyes. “All of this. Everything. I just wanted to get it over with and... And see what all the fuss was about.”

 

“...the fuss about me in particular or sex in general?”

 

“The latter.” She chuckled a little bit then, saying, “Though you do have an intriguing reputation.”

 

“It's well-deserved,” he said with a bit of a smirk. But his expression sobered as Seifer asked, “Well... Look, if you really want to just 'get it over with', then okay. But I think you're worth more than that.”

 

“...why?”

 

“Why not?”

 

“I...” Quistis put her head against the window. “I just don't think... It's not that special, is it? It's just a release of hormones and endorphins. It's not...”

 

“Oh, Quistis,” sighed Seifer in mixed amusement and pity. “You have _no_ idea what you're talking about. I'll prove it, too... If you're okay with that.”

 

Was she? Quistis opened her eyes and looked at Seifer's reflection in the glass, hazy and pale though it was. He was looking at her with something like longing and that sent a shiver of something like fear through her chest. She wanted passion, she wanted sensation, she did not...

 

“ _I don't want tenderness. I don't want love or anything like it. I wouldn't know what to do with it...”_

 

Even the idea seemed incredibly terrifying. Sex was understandable, even the insanity of lust made a sort of sense, but love... Quistis could not fathom it. She could not even sink into the addictive thrill of infatuation without being terrified that she was changing too fast to comprehend.

 

“ _Get it over with. Demystify it. Get back to life. And be back in control again.”_

 

“Okay,” she said, seeing him smile at the word. They could at least get _something_ over with. “I'll let you try.”

 

Seifer made a noise that out of anyone else would have been a giggle, and as Quistis looked at him in surprise, she squeaked as he slid across the bench seat and kissed her on the lips. It was chaste but somehow his intentions seemed to thrum through that point of contact, making Quistis shiver with his nearness and heat. Despite her best intentions, Quistis felt something softer and more psychological tickling her veins as the kissing got more intimate, and when Seifer slowly began to undress her, Quistis was trembling like a leaf before he even slid off her shirt. The noises that came out of her parted lips were mortifying and Quistis clapped her hands over her mouth as Seifer started kissing down her neck and chest with the same thorough and heat-inducing touch that he gave to her lips. His touch was feather-light, skimming the border between sensuality and pure ticklishness, so it was a shock when Seifer kissed her breast and Quistis felt the firm, deliberate press of his tongue through the lace. The slight roughness of the lace along with the heat and wetness of Seifer's mouth made for an incredible combination that made Quistis pant and moan. She could feel the press of his lips and tongue around her nipple, making pleasure roil out from her chest. Unconsciously Quistis clutched Seifer's head, blushing through his chuckle of understanding. When she felt hesitant fingers around the edge of her bralette, Quistis reached around her back and unhooked the flimsy garment with more impatience than hesitancy. Seifer made a noise of surprise as lace fell on his head, but in the next instant he chuckled and tossed it off to the side. Quistis shivered and sighed; the feel of mouth on her flesh was infinitely better, smooth hot silk that made her feel like she was floating. Pure sensation was not to be underestimated. For his part, Seifer's breathing was even but deep and rough-edged, his eyes heavy-lidded with lust as he slid off her skirt with a reverence and excitement that made Quistis want to melt. For whatever reason he kept looking up at her, making Quistis cover her face.

 

“ _She's so cute,”_ thought Seifer as he slid to lie down along the bench seat, kissing down her stomach and inner thigh. _“How did I never realize she was cute before?”_

 

Seifer started to bring out some of the tricks that gave him that hard-earned reputation back in the Garden, taking his time to tease Quistis through her panties before pulling them aside and tasting the extent of her arousal. She was incredibly wet and the scent of her arousal was more intoxicating than any drink he'd ever had, making Seifer want to throw restraint out the window and see how good she felt around him. Mindful that this was more than likely her first time, Seifer lapped at her slick and swollen lips, grinning as Quistis cried out in shock. He loved when she was loud without meaning to be, and he couldn't help but grin as Quistis's nervous shallow breathing turned to panting and then deeper, more pleasured gasps that had her clutching at his hair and shoulders. 

 

She was going to fall over. She was going to faint. Quistis slid down the bench seat into a half-lying position, unable to do anything but pant and gasp as Seifer continued to lick every part of her, gently spreading her legs apart to pay attention to everything he could taste. She could feel a heaviness build inside her, a pleasant ache that was familiar but shocking in how quickly it had appeared. Quistis could not look away from the sight of Seifer burying his face between her legs, and the sight of that particular fantasy come true nearly sent her over the edge. Except this felt far better than anything she had ever imagined, with so many things she'd simply never thought of; the clever action of his lips in addition to his tongue, how he occasionally sucked and groaned, sending vibrations purring through her body. It was all so overwhelming that Quistis was surprised that something in her still needed more. She ached for penetration.

  
  


“ _Why the hell did he forget protection? Why didn't_ I _get any?”_

  
  


And then she felt Seifer pushing up between her legs, probing cautiously with just one fingertip.

  
  


“Can I—” He asked, lifting his eyes to meet hers.

  
  


Quistis nodded, unable to form words. She saw Seifer's sea-green eyes glint as he slid one finger inside her and Quistis cried out as ripples seemed to spread out from every part of her he touched. She needed to hold something. Seifer grunted in surprise when she grabbed onto his shoulders and gripped hard, catching as much flesh as fabric, and she arched when he pushed against her, squeezing her pleasure-heightened flesh between his knuckles and her pelvic bone. It felt so good when he pressed hard like that!

  
  


Seifer grinned as Quistis arched into his touch, her body asking for more of what her mouth was afraid to request. She was going to go off like a volcano erupting and pretty soon too if the whole-body trembling was any indication. Seifer started off slowly, watching her to see what she liked, and his grin broadened as he saw that Quistis liked it when he pressed hard and deep, curling his finger just enough to rub against the sensitive places inside her as he drew back out. Her reactions gave him something to look forward to at some point when (alright, if/when) they got around to having sex. Seifer imagined making her scream when he thrust into her just like now, only with something that would give the both of them a lot more pleasure. He never stopped licking and sucking her clit as he fingered her, and when Quistis's head snapped back and her hips lifted up their own accord, Seifer started drawing numbers on her clit with the tip of his tongue. By the time he got to ten, Quistis was shuddering, shaking, scratching furrows in his jacket as she came. She screamed so loudly that the reinforced windows seemed to rattle in their panes before she thudded back down to earth, still trembling. Seifer sighed in deep happiness. Seeing her like this and hearing her cry out for him was better than any of the dreams he'd had over the past few weeks, but the best part was when she looked at him with soft, warm blue eyes that were all but glowing with appreciation and trust. Something more than lust started to flutter in Seifer's chest at that endearing, vulnerable look. Instinctively he knew she had never looked at anyone like that before.

 

“Good?” He asked, keeping his voice teasing so things couldn't get too heavy.

 

“Do you really have to ask?” She asked him in the sexiest voice he had ever heard. Seifer shifted against the bench seat, biting back the urge to ask her to return the favor as dull pleasure radiated through his body. The way he was feeling now, it wouldn't take more than five minutes and that would give a bad, bad impression for future activities.

 

“ _Because_ fuck yeah _we're doing this again!”_

 

The reality of what had just happened filled Quistis with an excitement that seemed to vibrate her pleasure into something higher and sharper. She wanted more and she wanted it right now, but she didn't want to be selfish either. In fact... She wanted to see Seifer at his most vulnerable, just like he'd seen her. Just the idea made her tremble in the best way.

 

“Can I...” Quistis swallowed, nervousness fluttering through her veins again. “Can I try... For you?”

 

“Aah...” Seifer stammered, his brain stalling out as all the blood in his body seemed to rush elsewhere.

 

“I... I've practiced a little on, um...” She couldn't get the word 'vibrators' out of her mouth.

 

“ _If she finishes that sentence I am gonna lose it,”_ thought Seifer, his mouth going dry as Quistis blushed, her gaze dropping to the side. Just the mental images were threatening to undo him as he imagined her with popsicles, bananas, anything vaguely phallic in shape... 

 

“ _And she draws really hot blowjob scenes too... Shit...”_

 

“A-anyway, um...” Quistis concentrated on the pile of her clothes on the floor of the truck. “I... I... I sort of know what to do...”

 

“ _DO IT DO IT DO IT”_ yelled Seifer's libido.

 

“ _No, it's better to save something for later,”_ said his sensible self. 

 

“ _WHEN IS THERE GOING TO BE A LATER YOU IDIOT”_

 

“Unless... You don't want to...” said Quistis, her voice trailing off in an uncertain mumble. She felt incredibly stupid. Seifer had a reputation for a reason and she knew she was probably going to be the worst and most inexperienced woman he'd ever been with...

 

“I do want to,” said Seifer, making Quistis look at him. His eyes were wide and almost shining, but he seemed stunned that she was offering. “But... Are you sure?”

 

“I just offered, didn't I?”

 

“Well yeah, but... You _want_ to, right? Because I'm not making you do anything you don't want to do.”

 

Quistis sighed, trying not to be charmed by his consideration and failing. “Trust me, if I didn't want to do something, you would know. If nothing else, I'd probably hit you.”

 

“That's fair,” said Seifer, thinking of how she'd slapped his hands away in the elevator.

 

He sat up and tried not to completely lose it as Quistis touched his belt buckle, the sight of her slim scarred fingers tugging on the leather and metal making him sigh. The uniform was tight to begin with, particularly the pants, and as Quistis struggled a bit with the button and the fly, her hands kept brushing across his cock. Seifer sighed, making her glance up at him. Her hesitant and yet excited eyes met his for a second before dropping away.

 

“Don't look at me,” she said, turning red.

 

“What?”

 

“I said, don't look at me.”

 

Seifer stared at her. It occurred to him that she was one of those strange women who was probably afraid of her sexiness and the idea of being seen doing something that gave pleasure was probably really embarrassing. Seifer suppressed a flare of irritation. More than half the fun was the visual aspect of the performance, but if it was a difference between getting blown and not getting blown...

 

“You want me to wear a blindfold or something?” Seifer asked as she undid the button and started to pull the zipper down. The lack of pressure sent a wave of relief through Seifer's hips, unconsciously making him arch a little toward Quistis.

 

“...No,” she said, shaking her head. “Just don't open your eyes. And... Don't cover your eyes with your hands either.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Just... Don't.”

 

Alright, fine. Seifer shrugged but closed his eyes. It wasn't like he really needed to see what was going on anyway. It wasn't hard to realize that Quistis was sliding down along the seat as he heard a sursurrous noise of skin on leather. He could almost see the delicate, hesitant movements of her hands as she located his cock and ran her palms along the length of him, making Seifer groan softly with how nice it felt. It had been a long time. There was some fumbling as Quistis tried to get his cock out of his pants, and in the end Seifer had to help her out; it wasn't like he needed to see to be able to handle his own anatomy. He _did_ wish he could see the look on her face when she first saw it, though. Seifer always appreciated the little jump of surprise and excitement that girls got when they saw him naked for the first time, though a couple of them had screamed a little bit too—apparently he was bigger than they were used to seeing.

 

“Ah...”

 

What did that noise mean? Was she turned on? Was she scared? Seifer nearly opened his eyes and instead growled softly. He wanted to see the look on her face.

 

Quistis was actually staring. She thought she knew what to expect, having studied anatomical models and even real-life porn, but this was different. Was he bigger than normal? The usual? Why did it keep twitching? How was she supposed to react? She needed to react, right? Objectively Quistis knew enough to recognize that Seifer was uncut and that the slick gleam around what little she could see of his glans was a good thing, but all of a sudden she was at a loss.

  
  


“ _Do I actually want to do this?”_ Quistis thought, hesitantly touching Seifer's cock. _“What if I'm terrible? What if I bite him by accident? Maybe... Maybe this wasn't a good idea..."_

 

Well, he'd tell her if she was awful, right? And... She was still curious.

 

Seifer groaned as Quistis wrapped her small, strong hand around his shaft and drew down slowly, peeling the foreskin back and making a shuddering wave of intense sensation radiate out from her touch. He would have been happy if she had done that a few more times, but he was instead ecstatic as Quistis licked his head and then started to suck on him like he was made of candy. He could feel the hesitation in her touch and how very, very light she was. It was just hard enough not to be a tease and definitely had to do with her inexperience, but the light, sweet touch of her lips and tongue just made him ache for more. It took a lot of self control not to thrust up into her mouth for more of that delicious sensation, so Seifer concentrated on keeping his breathing even as Quistis slowly got more comfortable and began using a bit more force. He groaned when she drew back for a moment to lick him from base to head, making him shiver in pleasure.

 

“Have you ever done this before?” Seifer had to ask, making sure to keep his eyes closed.

 

“Mm-mm,” said Quistis. And she responded like that because she was kissing the tip of him before easing her soft, perfect lips over his head and sucking with just the right amount of pressure. “Mmm?”

 

“No, that's perfect,” he said, interpreting the little lift at the end of her noise. “Just... Yeah. Oh yeah...”

 

His breathing was getting irregular and harsh, and Quistis couldn't help but look up at him as she continued the motions she was making. The sensation of his erection between her lips and sliding over her tongue was deeply and weirdly erotic; she had never anticipated this feeling good to her, though a lot of that had to do with seeing how affected Seifer was. Big bad Seifer Almasy, gasping for her with his eyes closed just on her say so... It was another dream come true. Seeing that his eyes were firmly closed, Quistis lifted her hips a little as the desire for more sensation, something moving inside, started to creep up in her again.

 

“Mmph...!” Quistis shivered as she slid two fingers inside herself, sighing at the sensation. This would definitely do for now.

 

She'd made another noise. What did that noise mean? Seifer wanted to look, he had never wanted to look so badly, especially as Quistis's movements seemed to get just a tad unfocused. Like she was distracted.

 

“ _Is she playing with herself? Fuck._ Fuuuck!”

 

“I know I can't look, but can I touch you?” Seifer asked, shivering as he felt Quistis's breath hitch. “Please?”

 

“Mmm... Mm-mm.”

 

“Aw, come on.”

 

“Mm-mm,” she repeated, acutely embarrassed. Paradoxically that made her curl her fingers against her g-spot and rub over the fevered flesh. Friction was nice and all, but she needed pressure and didn't know how to tell Seifer about that. He had more experience than she did and might take it amiss if she told him to do things differently... And she really wanted to get off at the same time he did...

 

A sudden impact rocked the truck and made both of them freeze. Immediately they sat up and looked around, the fear of being spotted instantly killing the mood. When Seifer rolled down the window and looked around, he swore when he saw no less than five Bite Bugs buzzing around the truck.

 

“Fuckin' monsters,” he swore, almost red-eyed with wrath.

 

“I suppose we should deal with that,” sighed Quistis. “If the truck comes back with dents, there will be questions.”

 

“Rrgh...”

 

It took longer than Seifer wanted to dispatch the Bite Bugs, especially when Quistis checked the time and regretfully announced they had to start moving again. Soon they were back on the road as though nothing happened, and taking his frustration out in combat cooled the desperate need in Seifer's blood for the other biological imperative. The energy in the compartment was definitely different though and Quistis kept sneaking looks at Seifer only to find that he was either looking at her too or turning away so she wouldn't catch him staring. It was patently silly and it made her giggle, but this sort of lightness and ease felt really, really nice. On a whim Quistis rolled the window down and pulled the clip out of her hair.

 

“This isn't a convertible,” said Seifer, glancing at her sidelong anyway.

 

“Shush,” said Quistis, leaning out so the wind would rush through her hair. “I'm basking.”

 

Seifer chuckled and kept driving.

 

It wasn't until they were almost at Balamb that Quistis remembered Seifer hadn't gotten his, but by the time she worked up the courage to ask if he wanted her to do something, they were already driving into town. There would probably be an opportunity on the way back, monsters in the trunk and all; the Grat sprouts were typically eight inches tall and packed frozen, while the juvenile T-Rexaurs were always re-sedated before being put on the truck. When they drove down to the harbor, the boat was waiting.

 

“Park the car and open the doors,” said Quistis as they approached. “There's some paperwork I need to handle.”

  
 

“Okay. Do we load the monsters on?”

 

“No, the teamsters do that.” Quistis hesitated as something occurred to her. “It usually takes about twenty minutes, so if you want to walk around town for a bit...”

 

As far as 'go buy a condom' hints went it wasn't exactly subtle, but it looked like Seifer got it when his brows rose and he said very evenly, “Maybe I will.”

 

“It's a nice day,” said Quistis primly.

 

“It is.”

 

They exited the car and as soon as Seifer unlocked the doors, he all but speed-walked toward the town. Quistis tried not to laugh, but bottling her amusement only made her stomach flutter with nervousness. No, she realized, not nervousness. Anticipation. Plausible alone time was draining away and they had to make the most of it.

 

“One hundred and forty-four Grat sprouts, frozen, and two juvenile T-Rexaurs,” said the transporter, flipping through the paperwork. “You the SeeD in charge?”

 

“Quistis Trepe, at your service.”

 

The transporter was middle-aged, portly, and possessed of a wandering eye. Quistis kept her politest smile on as he gave a skeptical but considering once-over.

 

“Sign,” he said, holding out the clipboard. As Quistis signed her name and her SeeD ID number, the transporter asked, “So that guy with you's a student?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“How many grades did they hold him back? He's a brick shithouse.”

 

“He's actually quite intelligent,” said Quistis, nettled at this casual dismissal of Seifer's abilities. “The head of the Disciplinary Committee. And he'll be taking his field test soon.”

 

“Oh.” The transporter seemed taken aback. “Just saying, he doesn't look much older than you.”

 

“He's younger than me by a few months,” said Quistis, handing back the clipboard. “And I'm an exception.”

 

“Yeah you are,” said the transporter with a leer. Quistis chose not to gift the odious man any more of her time and instead turned to observe the loading. The frozen Grats were in metal-sided crates that needed to be returned to the shipping company and currently the back of the truck was full of old containers. The empties were swapped out and replaced with fresh, heavy crates filled with immature monsters that would thaw and thrive in the Garden's Training Center. The T-Rexaurs were loaded on last and at this age, were about the size of large dogs. These ones were young enough to be mottled green and brown instead of red, which was fortunate for them since T-Rexaurs had been known to eat their young. They looked almost cute when they were asleep, puddles of drool and all. Quistis made sure they were re-sedated and watched the restless twitching of their tails still, and when she looked up Seifer was coming back down the path, swinging a bag that seemed to have weight in it. How many condoms had he bought?

 

“We're all done,” she told him. “Time to drive back.”

 

“Okay,” he said, nodding. He held up the bag, saying, “Got something for the way back.”

 

“I see,” said Quistis, a little shiver of anticipation going through her.

 

They climbed into the car and Seifer put the bag between them, saying absolutely nothing about it as he concentrated on backing out, changing gears, and driving out of Balamb without hitting anyone or anything. As soon as they cleared the town gates, Quistis hooked the bag with a finger and pulled it over. She saw Seifer grinning and stared to grin back before she opened it up and looked inside.

 

“What?” She exclaimed, staring in shock.

 

“You like strawberry and mint chocolate chip, right?”

 

“Yes,” said Quistis, reaching into the bag and pulling out two brightly colored containers of freeze-dried ice cream dots. “But I thought—”

 

“It's a little obvious, don't you think?” Seifer asked, tilting his head toward her. “People would talk.”

 

“Oh.” Damn it, how had she not thought about that? “Well, thank you. You didn't get any for yourself?”

 

“They didn't have black walnut, so I got a chocolate bar instead. Hand it over.”

 

“Say please.”

 

“Like hell, it's my money,” he retorted. But before Quistis could bristle, he paused and added, “Please.”

 

Quistis fought the urge to laugh and lost. She had to open the wrapper for Seifer since he wasn't supposed to take his hands off the wheel, but when Quistis held it out for him to take from her, Seifer leaned down and bit off a corner of the bar.

 

“I'm not going to mark you down if you take one hand off for one second,” said Quistis, laughing aloud.

 

“Amma feggin emmy femfes,” Seifer said, his words punctuated by the crunching of cocoa nibs. Half the part he'd chomped off was still sticking out of his mouth and waggling as he ate. He looked so foolish and yet somehow, so essentially him that Quistis felt _like_ blooming in her chest again.

 

“You're really going to eat the whole chocolate bar like that?” She asked him.

 

“Yeff.”

 

Quistis smiled and when he was done, she held the chocolate bar out for him to bite again. But this time when he set his teeth on the candy, Quistis tugged back. To her surprise, Seifer growled like he was a dog with a bone. When she pulled back harder, he actually jerked it out of her hand and ate the chocolate just like that, wrapper still half-on and several inches of it sticking out from his face. When he saw her starting to laugh at him, he growled again but a patently playful sort of way.

 

“Are you hungry?” She asked him solicitously.

 

“Yeff.”

 

“Well, if you can survive an hour, we'll be back at the Garden in time for dinner,” she said, opening her ice cream. She liked the dots on the rare occasions she had them, though their mass did not total much ice cream at all. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Seifer nodding as he continued to scarf his chocolate. It was peculiarly fascinating to watch him eat without using his hands. They ate in silence and drove in silence for a while longer, and the sudden specter of the Garden on the horizon was more of a shock than it should have been. Their time was coming to a rapid end.

 

“You're not mad about earlier, are you?” Quistis asked Seifer hesitantly.

 

“About what?” He asked her, glancing over. “When I said I didn't have protection? I thought you were going to strangle me.”

 

“Oh.” Quistis blushed. “Well, you made up for it.” As Seifer chuckled, she said, “No, I mean... You didn't finish, did you?”

 

“No...” he said slowly. “But you don't have to do anything.” Seifer looked at her and grinned, saying, “I want something to look forward to.”

 

Quistis laughed both in delight and also incredulity. “I don't know how we could do this again.”

 

“I'm sure we'll figure out something.” Seifer shifted in his seat, making Quistis eye him with more than a bit of consideration. Those cadet pants were tight and she thought she could almost see the outline of his shaft against the fabric. “Damn it, that field test can't come soon enough. I don't want to be a student anymore. When I'm a SeeD...”

 

Seifer stopped himself. He'd almost said, “When I'm a SeeD, we won't have to hide,” but he had no idea if that was what she wanted. Seifer glanced at Quistis and saw her staring at him, mouth slightly open. He flushed and looked away, concentrating on the road. And what the hell was he thinking? He tried to picture a future where he and Quistis strolled around the Garden like a couple of dingbats in love and the image was so patently ludicrous that it puffed into smoke. Still...

 

He imagined passing her in the hall and being able to kiss her without worrying that she would get demoted, or making plans that didn't rely on plausible deniability and straight-up lies. How nice it would be to say, regardless of who was around, “Do you want to spend time with me?” and hear her say “Yes”. Seifer didn't fool himself into thinking that he knew any more about Quistis Trepe than he had a week ago, but he wanted to learn. Soon. Fast. Everything and all that he could.

 

“Well, at least you won't get in trouble for...stuff,” Seifer said, lamely finishing his thought.

 

When Quistis didn't say anything, Seifer glanced over and saw that she was gazing out of the window. He had no idea what she was thinking and was half-afraid to ask. Minutes rolled by in silence.

 

“Seifer.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I'm looking forward to working with you. As soon as possible.”

 

Seifer let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding and when he caught it again, found himself smiling.

 

/\/\/\

 

“Hello?”

 

“Seifer? Is that you?”

 

“Rinoa!”

 

Rinoa smiled at the sound of his voice. It had been nearly a year since they'd seen each other, but the sound of his voice brought back a familiar warmth and a stupid, silly smile she couldn't get off her face. Rinoa twisted a lock of hair around her finger.

 

“It's been a while,” Seifer was saying, sounding pleasantly surprised. The cell phone he was using was a remnant from their dating days; he hadn't had one before being with her. She was certain he'd shut it off after they broke up, as amiable as that had been. She still regretted it even as every day made the choice more sensible. “Is everything alright?”

 

“Yeah, yeah, everything's fine...” Rinoa stared up at the ceiling. Her room in the Timber Owls base was not nearly as luxurious as the one in her dad's mansion, but it definitely felt more like home. In fact, this was the first place where she and Seifer had... Rinoa shook herself out of pleasant remembrances. “Have you taken your test yet?”

 

“Hasn't been scheduled yet.”

 

“Oh. Darn.”

 

“Why? Do you need a SeeD for something?”

 

“Uh, sort of.” Rinoa saw Angelo pad into the room and patted her chest, making the dog trot toward her and then leap onto the bed. Rinoa ruffled Angelo's ears as she said, “There's an opportunity and 'we' need professionals. I was hoping... Well, you're not a SeeD, but you know the Headmaster of Balamb Garden, right?”

 

“Yeah. Cid. I see him a lot.”

 

“Do you think I could talk to him about hiring a couple SeeDs? But like...at a discount rate? For justice?”

 

Seifer was quiet for a moment, which made Rinoa bite her lip with uncertainty. He probably thought she was crazy. When he came back on the line, she sighed with relief. “Look, just come out here in about a week. I'll figure something out.”

 

“Really?” Rinoa hugged Angelo, making the dog squirm. “Oh, thank you!”

 

“No problem,” said Seifer, sounding pleased. “So... How are you?”

 

“Pretty good.”

 

“Any reason why?”

 

“Well, I got to talk to you again,” she said flirtatiously, making him laugh. Her heart still ached toward him. Stupid distance. Stupid schedules.

 

She had met Seifer a little over a year ago when he'd come out for a special gunblade course at Galbadia Garden, a monthlong intensive that only the best in the world got to go to. Rinoa had been trying to get informants among G-Garden students at the time and had run into him. Oh, he'd been charming. So confident and smart, ambitious too. He didn't laugh at her when she told him about her passion for Timber's liberation either; instead his eyes had also shone with the need for justice and they'd spent all night talking. Rinoa couldn't remember ever connecting with anyone like that before.

 

They'd known from the start that it wouldn't work out and it was best not to be bitter, but oh Hyne, how she missed him. At first it had been terrible, like her heart was torn out of her chest, but now Rinoa had lived through the worst and thought more along the lines of 'it would be nice if he was here' rather than 'I want him here right now'. And knowing that he didn't hold a grudge, that he even thought of her well...

 

“Are you seeing anyone?” She asked him. “Because if I'm coming by in a week...”

 

“Uh...”

 

“...oh.” Rinoa swallowed, but the sudden chill in her chest remained.

 

“Well, I don't know what it is yet,” he said hurriedly. “It's strange. I can't get into it. But I would love to see you again, no matter what. I've missed you.”

 

“I've missed you too,” said Rinoa against her better judgment, because it was true. And Seifer wasn't the sort to lead women around on a string, she just knew it. She hoped his strange thing fell apart and immediately felt bad for wishing him ill, because strange thing or not, that mystery woman would be there for him when she had to leave again. And Rinoa knew she deserved better than a love that only happened every now and then.

 

Still, no one had set her blood on fire in the same way since.

 

They talked about nothing for a while before Seifer had to go on patrol and after they hung up, Rinoa wondered what she was getting into. Angelo had fallen asleep on her chest and was snoring lightly, just heavy enough to cut off the circulation to Rinoa's right arm. Rinoa eased her limb out from under her dog and got off the bed, chewing the inside of her cheek.

 

“ _Well, I've got a week to prepare for this meeting,”_ she thought, choosing to concentrate on the meeting with Headmaster Cid rather than seeing Seifer again. On the other hand... _“I can prepare for both.”_

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Smut and drama, the two things that make the fanfic world turn. Ooooo

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	8. Chapter 8

/\/\/\/\/\

 

6 February 2015   
  
This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

It was just a normal day in class, or so Squall thought until class ended and he saw a piece of paper fall out of Seifer's coat. Squall wouldn't have looked twice except he saw familiar red pen on the outside of the paper and realized it was a quiz or a test. Not exactly a piece of trash, in any case. Squall reached across the aisle, picked up the folded paper, and tossed it onto Seifer's desk, but a scribble on the inside of the paper caught his eye. Squall frowned. When he looked up, the classroom was empty except for Instructor Trepe and her fanclub, so Squall went over to Seifer's desk and unfolded the paper. Nothing more than idle curiosity motivated him and he wasn't sure what he was expecting, but the near-naked, very well done drawing of Instructor Trepe in lingerie made Squall freeze.

 

Instinctively Squall looked at Instructor Trepe, who was smiling and laughing like a woman who didn't know that one of her students, easily her most challenging student, was drawing pinups of her on the back of his tests.

 

“ _I don't know what's weirder,”_ thought Squall as he looked back at the sketch and found himself blushing. _“That Seifer draws or that he draws...this. No, this is definitely weirder. Way weirder.”_

 

It was a really good drawing, down the patterns on the lacy lingerie. And was that a bed? She was sitting on a bed. Definitely a bed.

 

“ _Oh no,”_ thought Squall, sweating. _“This is bad. This is really bad. Why would he draw this? Why would he drop this? What if he dropped this in front of me on purpose? What if I was supposed to see it? What do I do? What if it's some sort of really weird come-on?_

 

“ _...if it was a come-on, wouldn't it be_ me _in lingerie?”_

 

Squall shuddered at the absolutely bizarre and downright disturbing possibility that Seifer had been killing time in class by drawing Squall in lacy lingerie. It was so intensely mind-boggling that Squall realized it could not be and that was a relief. Nevertheless...

 

“ _Should I give this to Quistis? I mean, it's a picture of her and everything... But no. NO! What if she thinks_ I _drew it? What if she suspends me? Or fails me?”_

 

Squall realized he was still staring at the drawing. He knew he shouldn't be, but the face matched Quistis's perfectly, which made him wonder if the lovingly drawn curves of the figure's bre— _arms and legs_ were true to life too. It made Squall wonder if Seifer's imagination was really good or if somehow...

 

...he had seen Quistis like this and been able to draw her.

 

Squall shuddered at that mental image too, though this one was disturbing and improbable because of what it implied. Besides, if it was true, why was Seifer still getting barely passing grades on Quistis's tests? Surely that sort of 'activity' would count as extra credit, right?

 

Unless Seifer liked being 'punished' for being a 'bad student'...

 

Squall made a noise of pain as his brain seemed to break. He folded the paper up and stuck it in his back pocket. He'd figure out what to do with this later. Right now he needed to get out of the classroom before anyone noticed he was walking funny. Normally he didn't think his pants were tight, but today was not one of those days.

 

Quistis and her fanclub were between him and the door, so Squall hugged the wall to get out. He tried not to look at Quistis but couldn't help it and instantly found himself wondering what she was wearing underneath her uniform. It could be anything. More lingerie or some leather bondage thing (she used a whip! It was possible!) or maybe nothing at all...?

 

Squall walked into the side of the door. Quistis gasped and the Trepies tittered.

 

“Smooth,” said a mocking voice from the hall. As Squall rubbed his face, he looked up and felt his blood freeze as he saw Seifer _and_ Fujin and Raijin in the hall. So much for tracking Seifer down and giving him the paper back discreetly.

 

“Shut up,” Squall snapped. Seifer's brows rose.

 

“You're in a mood today,” said Seifer, folding his arms and drumming his fingertips. “What's wrong? Puberty finally catch up with you?”

 

“Shut uuup,” Squall growled, blushing. Of all days, Seifer had to say that today. Squall's back pocket seemed to burn. Stupid drawing!

 

“Awww, it did!” Seifer sounded delighted, which made Squall wonder if Seifer was actually delighted. Maybe the sketch was a weird gift after all. 'Welcome to manhood, jerk off to our teacher'. AUGH!

 

“Seifer!” Quistis called from the classroom, coming to lean out into the hall.

 

“What?”

 

“Knock it off!”

 

“It's just a bit of friendly teasing,” said Seifer with a shrug. Squall felt his skin creeping as Seifer looked at either him or Quistis with a bit of leer, saying, “You don't have a problem with that, do you?”

 

“Just ignore him,” said Quistis to Squall, patting his shoulder. Squall jumped when she touched him, making her look at him strangely. “Squall, are you alright?”

 

“...”

 

Now Seifer was looking at him weirdly too. Squall suddenly wondered what he was doing with his face.

 

“ _I need to get out of here.”_

 

Stepping out of the classroom, Squall speed-walked for the elevator, hyperaware of everyone in the hall staring at him. He couldn't hit the button fast enough but when it arrived, his hell only intensified. Squall walked in and turned around to find Seifer and his posse also walking in. Squall must have made a noise or something because Fujin looked at him weirdly. But being Fujin, she said nothing.

 

The elevator was cramped. And it only got more cramped as instead of going down, the elevator instead went up to the third floor. When the door opened, two faculty members, one of them wearing the enormous yellow-plated headdress of test administrator, squeezed in.

 

“2,” said one of them.

 

“1,” said the other.

 

Never mind that the faculty members were closest to the elevator buttons. Squall saw Fujin and Raijin exchange an eye roll before Raijin snaked his arm around the side of the elevator and poked both buttons. The elevator doors hissed shut.

 

It occurred to Squall that this was probably the best time to get rid of the drawing in a sneaky, discreet sort of way. Squall was pressed all the way against the back of the elevator but Seifer was standing with his back to him which meant that Squall could probably slide the picture into his pocket pretty easily. Problem solved, awkwardness diverted. Stealthily like in Bomb Disposal 101, Squall pulled the naked sketch out of his pants pocket and reached silently out toward Seifer. He leaned slightly to the side to see where Seifer's pocket actually was.

 

He couldn't see it.

 

“ _No. No! I know he has pockets on his coat! Where are they?”_ Squall wracked his memory. Shit! All of Seifer's pockets were in the front! Damn it! 

 

The elevator dinged to the second floor and one of the faculty members got out. It became less crowded, which also meant more difficult to slide a piece of paper into someone's pocket. Squall started sweating again.

 

“ _I should just slide it under his door or something,”_ thought Squall. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a pale, strong hand seized his wrist and Squall looked in panic at Fujin, who was looking at him with a suspicious one-eyed stare. He stared back, not knowing what to do. His mind, however, was screaming.

 

“ _Shit shit shit she's going to tell him I need to get out of this elevator right now—”_

 

Fujin glanced down at the folded up naked picture and a fresh thrill of cold horror went down Squall's back. Still holding onto his wrist, Fujin pulled the paper out of his grasp and looked at it. Her suspicious expression softened, replaced by one of speculation. Then for the first time that Squall could ever remember, Fujin smiled. Why?

 

“ _Oh holy Hyne,”_ thought Squall in abject mortification as Fujin silently tapped the note to her lips and then slid it smoothly into Seifer's pocket—his chest pocket!—without him noticing. _“No! No! She thinks I'm gay for Seifer! No!”_

 

As soon as the elevator doors opened onto the first floor, Squall wriggled out from everybody and _ran_ down the steps, ran around the hall, ran all the way back to the dorms with his face redder than a Bomb. The instant he took off, Fujin started laughing.

 

“What is wrong with that student?” The faculty member sputtered; Squall had nearly knocked him over.

 

“Puberty?” Raijin tossed out. Fujin started laughing harder, which made Seifer and Raijin look at her curiously. The faculty member huffed and strode off, but the posse exited at a more leisurely pace.

 

“POCKET.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Fujin pointed at Seifer's chest pocket, smiling. “LOOK.”

 

“Why?” Seifer checked his pocket. A piece of folded up paper was in there and Seifer nearly opened it up, but a red 78 on the outside made him freeze. He knew exactly what this was. Why was it outside his inner breast pocket? Why did Fujin know about it?

 

“What's that?” Raijin asked, making Seifer jump.

 

Fujin giggled. The high, girlish sound was so unlike her that Seifer and Raijin stared.

 

“LOVE LETTER,” she said with great satisfaction.

 

“From who?” Raijin asked, but then his eyes got as round as saucers. “NOOO! Squall? Ha! No wonder he was running so fast!” He started laughing, rocking back and forth with the hilarity. Somehow Seifer couldn't bring himself to laugh. Cold fear had locked his body into a meat popsicle. How had Squall gotten this paper into his chest pocket? What did it mean?

 

“ _Does he know about me and Quistis? Is it a threat?”_

 

Seifer couldn't breathe. He'd been trying hard not to think about the consequences of what they'd been doing so far, but if Squall knew and ran his stupid mouth, bad things could happen to both Seifer and Quistis. She might lose her Instructor license. And what would his chances at taking the SeeD test be, if people thought he was banging the teacher for better grades?

 

Seifer jumped when Raijin started tugging on his sleeve. “Open it up, open it up. What does it say?”

 

“I...” Seifer stuffed the drawing into another of his inner coat pockets, one that he knew for sure didn't have a hole in the bottom. “I don't wanna humiliate him.”

 

“What? You always wanna humiliate Squall.”

 

“Yeahhh... But not like this. It's mean. Too mean.”

 

Fujin nodded and a moment later, Raijin agreed reluctantly.

 

“CUTE,” said Fujin, smiling.

 

“Who? Them?” Raijin jerked his thumb at Seifer. “Oh no.”

 

“No,” said Seifer, shaking his head vehemently.

 

“CUTE,” Fujin repeated, lacing her hands behind her back and smiling broadly. She was enjoying this way too much.

 

“Stop saying that!” Seifer snapped at her.

 

“ADORABLE.”

 

Seifer growled and stalked off, his friends just a pace behind and yet somehow, further away than they'd ever been. He really didn't like keeping secrets from them. Still, how would he explain what he and Quistis were doing? Especially since they hadn't done anything since picking up the monsters a week ago?

 

Were they ever going to?

 

That was why on stupid impulse he'd put the sketch into his coat pocket again, realizing only belatedly he was carrying it over his heart. He hoped something more might happen today or at least soon, but she hadn't looked at him once. It...hurt. Unconsciously Seifer sighed.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Back to the crack for now. 

So when I was originally typing this section, something seemed off about Squall so I asked a friend for feedback. 

Draft one (written by me as a female): Squall finds the pinup, tells Quistis, informs her he's worried about her safety and asks if she'd like to report Seifer and/or have some backup in kicking his ass.

Draft two (beta'ed by a friend, who is a male): Awkward hilarity ensues, because for most men, the possibility of sexual assault is not always on the forefront of their minds, so they start coming up with wild alternate explanations.

I always saw Squall as trying not to care about what people thought, but at the same time being the kind of person who mildly obsesses over what he thinks other people are thinking of him. He hides it under a thick layer of apathy, but sometimes shit just gets too weird.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	9. Chapter 9

/\/\/\/\/\

 

6 February 2015   
  
This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

In her own rooms, Quistis sighed. And like Seifer, she was not alone.

 

“What's wrong, Qu?” Xu asked her. They were drinking tea and going over paperwork, Xu looking over supplies and Quistis grades. Xu's room was bigger but Quistis's had the better view, which was why they often went to her room to work.

 

“Oh... Nothing.”

 

“If I didn't know better, I'd say you were in love.”

 

Quistis stared, stunned that Xu would pick those words above all others, but in the next second Xu muttered as she crossed out something on her documents and Quistis realized that Xu had been joking. She hadn't even been looking at Quistis when she'd spoken.

 

“Well, I'm not,” said Quistis, panic nevertheless fluttering in her veins.

 

“Yeah, I know. You'd tell me, right?”

 

“Right,” said Quistis, wincing inside. She had no idea how Xu would react to the news. Was there news? She and Seifer hadn't had any alone time for a week and there was simply no opportunity to even pass along drawings since the paper quizzes were an anomaly. He didn't need any further instruction, either. Quistis had wracked her brains every night and come up flat. And to make things worse, she had another submission due in about a week. She was determined not to include anything she did with Seifer in future episodes, but a lot of readers were specifically asking for more Bad Teacher. Damn her talent!

 

“I'm bored,” said Quistis suddenly, making Xu look up. “Let's take out a car and go shopping.”

 

“What?” Xu put down her pencil, sounding incredulous but delighted. “You wanna skip out on work to go shopping?”

 

“It's not like the paperwork will sprout legs and run away. And we're both almost done.”

 

“True, true...” Xu stood up, grinning. “Yeah, let's go. Ooh, we should take out the motorcycles!”

 

“No, not the motorcycles!”

 

“Why not?”

 

“They're loud!”

 

“And awesome! Come on!”

 

“I'd rather take a car,” said Quistis. “It's easier to talk in one of those.”

 

“True...” Xu tilted her head. “You wanna talk about something?”

 

“Well...yes.”

 

“Hmm... Okay. Car it is. Let me go get changed.”

 

Half an hour later they were driving down to Balamb. Technically they were not supposed to use Garden vehicles for frivolous outings but when Quistis Trepe the Prodigy and Xu the First SeeD wanted a vehicle, nobody asked why. Clearly they were ladies on a mission, as even casually dressed they were both prepared for battle. It was only prudent.

 

“I can't wait until you're old enough to drink legally,” said Xu to Quistis as they rolled out. “There's a really nice little bar by the train station that has dueling pianos. It's a lot of fun. So what do you want to get today?”

 

“I don't know. I just need a change of pace.”

 

“Oh? How big a change?” Xu's eyes gleamed. “You wanna cut your hair?”

 

“No!” Quistis clapped her hands over her head.

 

“But you'd look so cute with some layers!” Xu said. “Come on! Just put a little volume in there. Guys would be eating out of your hand.”

 

“ _I only want one guy, and I_ don't _want him eating out of my_ hand _,”_ thought Quistis. Which made her smirk suddenly.

 

“Actually... That lace lingerie set turned out to be really comfortable.”

 

“I know, right?” Xu said excitedly. “So, Olena's?”

 

“Olena's.”

 

Being a tourist town, Balamb was split in an interesting way; there was the town proper, where people lived and children went to school, and there was also the tourist section which was filled with higher-end shops and restaurants, all of which were run by locals. Olena's was a lady's boutique that featured delicate underthings from around the world and while Xu had originally had to drag shy little Quistis inside, it had now become one of their favorite places to go. Xu always bought something while Quistis typically window-shopped or rifled through the sale rack. Today Quistis went right over with Xu to the fancy lacy underthings, the sight of which no longer made her blush. This was research.

 

“Hmm...” said Xu as Quistis started to pick things out.

 

“What?” Quistis asked her.

 

“You're picking all matching sets.”

 

“Yes? So?”

 

“Well...” Xu grinned. “Typically... Ladies only wear matching sets when they want to show them off.”

 

“Or I just like my things to match,” said Quistis evenly, trying not to blush.

 

“Yeah, yeah. But that's a boring reason. Is there someone I don't know about?”

 

“No.”

 

“You said that way too fast.”

 

“And you're...fishing.”

 

Xu clapped her hands in delight. She was nearly thirty but sometimes she acted like a girl younger than Quistis's age. “I knew it! You have been smiling and sighing like a figure in a play for the past month. Who is he? Or her? I don't judge.”

 

“I'm not telling you anything!” Said Quistis, thinking, _“You do too judge. You hate Seifer.”_

 

“Pleeeeease?”

 

“No.”

 

“I'll buy all your lingerie if you tell me.”

 

Quistis wavered but said, “No.” Besides, Xu might want her money back if she knew who Quistis planned on wearing the lingerie for.

 

“Come on...” Xu put on her best puppydog face, which made Quistis laugh and shake her head. “Pleeease? **Pleeeeeeease?”**

 

“No!”

 

“I'll tell you one of my secrets!” And before Quistis could reject the deal, Xu whispered, “I hooked up with an out-of-towner. SeeD from Trabia. His name is—”

 

“Alton Brenner,” said Quistis, annoyed. As Xu blinked, she said, “I went on a mission with him once.”

 

“Oh.” Xu was nonplussed, but she wasn't an Ace for nothing. “Wait, how did you find out Brenner was in town? And that I hooked up with him? He was only in for a resupply.”

 

“Uh...” Damn it. Quistis sighed and decided to tell the truth. “Because I saw you two together.”

 

“How? We were only in the...” Xu's eyes got round. “That means...” Xu gasped. “How much did you see?”

 

“Nothing,” said Quistis, eyeing Xu's rapid mood shifts with amusement. “I heard it.”

 

“We weren't that loud, were we?”

 

“No... But loud enough.”

 

“Oh Hyne,” Xu pressed her hands to her face, shaking her head. “Oops. Well, if it's any consolation, we got interrupted by Seifer. And then a bunch of Grats.”

 

Quistis started laughing, more at the memory of Seifer's special brand of humor than at Xu's misfortune, but Xu rolled her eyes and said, “That little jackass sure knows how to twatblock.”

 

“Xu, why do you hate him so much?” Quistis asked.

 

“Who, Seifer? Isn't it obvious?” When Quistis shook her head, Xu sighed. “He's arrogant, off-putting, skates by on his looks, and he has all that wasted potential that he just thinks he is too good to develop.”

 

“What?”

 

“You only see him in the classroom. I have to deal with him on the practice grounds, and let me tell you, he is all about the fancy flourishes and the style without actually paying attention to the technique.” Xu huffed as she began looking at bras and panties for herself. “The problem is that for the longest time he was the best gunblade user at Balamb Garden. And then we sent him off to that workshop for a month and his head got even bigger, remember?”

 

“I remember,” sighed Quistis. Seifer had returned from G-Garden right at the start of her Instructorship and he had been quite the handful, disrupting class to talk about his travels in an insultingly casual way until Quistis had cut his feet out from under some of his more fanciful embellishments. He did enjoy the spotlight perhaps a bit too much.

 

“Anyway, while he was gone, Squall kept on working on his technique, so when Seifer comes back, he suddenly finds out he's not the big swinging dick anymore. Doesn't matter how many neat combinations he can do if he can't remember to _pull the fucking trigger_ with every strike! Otherwise he might as well be using a sword.”

 

Quistis thought back to Seifer's GF test in the Lightning Forest. It was true that he wasn't exactly consistent about maximizing his gunblade's potential...

 

“And then,” said Xu, gathering steam. “He has the gall to keep going on about _when_ he becomes a SeeD, when he can't obey orders and keeps thinking he knows better than anyone else! We are the elite mercenary force of the entire world and he wants to run around like a, a, a... A cowboy! Or a bounty hunter.” Xu huffed again. “He's just so unprofessional. Anyway, that's why I hate him. Right now, anyway. If he ever cleans up he'll be pretty good, but I don't see that happening any time soon.”

 

Quistis couldn't fault Xu's assessment. She'd thought much of the same about Seifer over the past several months, but now her own thoughts were tempered by what she knew. Seifer was arrogant, sure, but that confidence allowed him to stride fearlessly into student conflicts and get them resolved; he was too proud to get embarrassed by what people might think of him. And he did have trouble obeying orders, but Quistis thought that was because he was very intuitive in battle, able to read an opponent's moves like she could read books. His scores were always perfect on tactics and strategy exams, even if he consistently struggled with procedure. Seifer actually reminded her of lightning, powerful and intimidating but also very versatile.

 

“ _Very versatile,”_ she thought, her mind hazing a bit as she remembered the way his mouth had moved over her most sensitive parts. How she wanted to feel that again!

 

Quistis bought three sets of matching lace bralettes and panties while Xu apparently bought as much underwear as she could fit into her arms, and after that they went to the bath store to sniff shampoos since they were both running low. Quistis's favorite nectarine-scented shampoo got an update with notes of white tea and neroli, which the shopgirl swore would make any man extra affectionate. Xu elbowed her, eyebrows waggling outrageously, as Quistis bought two bottles and all but stuck her fingers in her ears when Quistis insisted it was because of the smell, not supposed aphrodesiac qualities.

 

Though if this scent did work, she was going to be back for more.

 

They went to the New Balamb Hotel, a fancy establishment that did not boast ocean views from all around, and made a dinner of appetizers at the bar. Xu drank, which meant Quistis would drive back, and knowing this, Xu drank until she was good and tipsy. Fortunately everyone in town knew most SeeDs by sight, so there was no real reason to chide Xu for supposed unprofessionalism. Unless one wanted to take her to task for gossip, which always bubbled out of her like a fountain when the booze was in her.

 

“So I heard that Squall got a big ol' crush on Seifer.”

 

Quistis choked on her juice cocktail. “What?”

 

“Apparently Squall tried to stick a love letter in his pocket.”

 

“When did this happen?”

 

“Earlier today.” Xu laughed. “Professor Dawning told me about it. Apparently he was in the elevator when it happened and then Squall got so embarrassed that he ran like a little girl.”

 

If Squall was learning his preferences at this age, no wonder he had been so quiet. Quistis fully understood about how some people struggled with what they liked, especially if they didn't have good support networks. And Squall was famously alone. Her heart hurt a little for him.

 

“How did Seifer react?” Quistis asked as she sipped her juice.

 

“Oh, he was a complete homophobe about it. But isn't that _hilarious?_ ”

 

“It is pretty funny,” said Quistis, mentally reviewing Squall and Seifer's interactions over the past year. She'd always assumed that Squall ignored Seifer because their personalities clashed, but maybe it was a case of opposites attracting? Or one opposite being attracted to another, at least. Quistis couldn't exactly blame Squall, considering how her own feelings had managed to change over time.

 

“You're sighing again,” said Xu, making Quistis sit up. “Come on. Tell me what's going on. Did I guess wrong? Is it a girl?”

 

“I don't see why you're insisting I'm in love.”

 

“Well you haven't offered an alternate explanation.”

 

Quistis swirled her drink. Xu was a very good friend. When Quistis had taken her first SeeD test at fifteen, Xu had been the only one on the deciding council who had stuck up for her and even filed the paperwork to make sure Quistis could take the test. Of course, Xu was biased in favor of smart young girls, until then having been the youngest SeeD to graduate at 17. Everyone except Xu had been shocked when Quistis had passed at 15 and since then they'd stuck together, two extraordinary ladies in a typically male-dominated field. And more than work united them; they liked the same movies, were annoyed by the same things, and liked spending time together out of work too. One of their very first bonding experiences had been dramatically reading the backs of romance novels in the store until they got chased out by two red-faced women who were just trying to shop.

 

Romance novels...

 

“Well...” Quistis leaned her head toward Xu. “I have a side business. And I'm running out of ideas.”

 

“Oh?” Xu's brows rose.

 

“You can't tell anyone.”

 

“Of course not! What is it?”

 

So very quietly Quistis began to explain about her side hobby, though she deliberately left out the Bad Teacher episodes. Xu's eyes got rounder and rounder until she had a 5-week-old kitten's stunned stare.

 

“Oh holy Hyne,” Xu whispered, giggling. “You have to let me look sometime.”

 

“If you insist, but I need ideas.”

 

Xu suddenly slapped the table. “Let's go to the strip club!”

 

“No!” Quistis gasped.

 

“Why not? Got a problem with strippers?”

 

“I do not, but I have no desire to see naked women.”

 

“What? No. We'd go to the _male_ strip club.”

 

“No!” Quistis exclaimed, even more aghast.

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because... Because no!” Quistis blushed.

 

Xu laughed so loudly that people looked at them strangely, which made Quistis hide her face. “How can you be shy about that?” Xu asked, managing to whisper that question.

 

“Well, it's different when it's real life!”

 

“Yeah, which is why real life is better.”

 

A month ago, Quistis would have disagreed. On paper, onscreen, every variable could be controlled, which appealed to her need for discretion and safety. On the other hand, she unconsciously shivered at the memory of hot leatherclad palms on her face and the feel of warm lips on her neck. Quistis sighed again.

 

“Hey,” said Xu, making Quistis blink. The older woman touched her shoulder. “Look. I know it's hard right now, because you're young. And honestly, I don't even know if you want to find someone. But if you do, he or she is out there. Give it time, okay?”

 

Quistis laughed and patted Xu's hand. “I'll be fine, thank you. But I still don't want to go to the strip club.”

 

“Can we go to the special store then?”

 

“The special store?”

 

“Oh yes,” said Xu, starting to grin. “The 'special' store.”

 

/\/\/\

 

Seifer usually left his door open in case someone wanted to talk to him in a Disciplinary Committee capacity, but his reputation was such that most people just slid notes under the door rather than talk to him face to face about their concerns. So when Fujin came to visit, she was not particularly surprised to find Seifer alone. He was doing something on his computer that apparently required so much concentration that when she knocked, he jumped and swore. Rapid clicking ensued. Fujin was pretty sure he hadn't been doing anything really inappropriate since his door had been open, but one never knew with boys.

 

“What's up?” He asked her.

 

“LOVE LETTER?”

 

“It wasn't a love letter,” said Seifer, but his cheeks were starting to turn pink. “He's just a doofus who wanted to give me my test back.”

 

Considering that 'doofus' was probably one of the mildest insults that Seifer had ever leveled at Squall Leonhart, Fujin immediately sensed something was up. She turned on her best gimlet stare and pointed it at Seifer, who squirmed immediately.

 

“I hate it when you do that,” he muttered.

 

“TELL.”

 

“There's nothing to tell!”

 

Fujin pointed at him. “SECRETIVE.”

 

She saw him start to sweat. “No I'm not.”

 

Time to turn up the heat. Fujin closed the door and, making eye contact with Seifer, locked it. Seifer leaned back in his chair, eyes widening.

 

“What are you doing?” He asked as she approached, her gaze narrowed and determined. “Why did you lock the door?”

 

“TALK,” said Fujin severely.

 

“About what?”

 

It was hard to form long sentences without her throat locking up; for years Fujin had been effectively mute after a nearly fatal dog bite had made speaking painful. Only Raijin and Seifer actually listened when she spoke, which was why she ran with them no matter what. She trusted them and they trusted her, which was why secrets were no good. Fujin didn't care about the little secrets, like where Raijin hid his porn stash (over his closet door, flat to the wall with an elastic net). But Seifer had been acting weird for a while and she was done with it.

 

And when in doubt, it was best to act.

 

“YOU KNOW WHAT,” she said, crossing the room to get to his side. Seifer tried to turn off his monitor discreetly but Fujin intercepted his hand and looked at the screen. It looked like he was making a mix CD. “WHAT?”

 

“Go away!” Seifer yanked his hand out of her grasp, his fair face turning red. Seifer didn't blush often, but when he did, he turned into a tomato. It was great. Fujin laughed as Seifer covered the screen with his hands.

 

“CRUSH?”

 

“No!” Then he paused, looking speculative. “Actually...”

 

“OH?”

 

“...You remember Rinoa, right?”

 

It took Fujin a minute to place the name. She'd never met the girl, but Seifer had talked to her and Raijin about her fairly often after his return from Galbadia. “EX-GIRLFRIEND.”

 

“Yeah. Well... She's coming around in about a week.”

 

“OH?”

 

Slowly Seifer uncovered the computer screen, resettling his coat. “It ended okay, but... You know. I'm nervous. She's a really cool girl.”

 

Fujin tilted her head, studying him. She couldn't detect anything off and if an old flame was about to visit, that would definitely explain why he had been weird. But why hadn't he just told them? Fujin knew she would like to meet the girl that had turned Seifer's head upside-down for a month. Something else was up.

 

Fujin looked at the computer screen again and while Seifer blushed, he didn't lunge for the monitor again. She read over his track selections and referenced them against what she recognized. It was Seifer's music so there wasn't anything that exactly schmoopy, but this was definitely a softer, gooier side of Seifer than Fujin had previously been aware of.

 

And he knew that too. He was probably really embarrassed.

 

“LOVE?”

 

“I don't think so,” said Seifer, shaking his head. “I mean... Maybe at the time.” He smiled, nostalgia softening his face. Before Fujin could fully register her surprise, his expression resettled into more familiar lines and he waved at Fujin in annoyance, saying, “Now will you get out and let me work?”

 

Fujin laughed and left the room. After all, she would need time of her own to prepare to meet this girl. It wasn't just any girl who was good enough for Seifer, and Fujin knew that Raijin felt the same way. Rinoa had better watch out.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Nothing new to report. Enjoy your chapter.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm flooded with fear  
> And it don't disappear  
> But I'm still standing here

/\/\/\/\/\

7 February 2015  
  
This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

Song lyric selection: "Public Displays of Affection" by Morcheeba

/\/\/\/\/\

 

Squall couldn't look at Seifer for the next few days for a variety of reasons, and when Seifer ignored him right back, that should have been a relief. Instead Squall stewed, silently convincing himself that something even worse was on the horizon. And no matter how hard he tried to turn his head off, he just couldn't.

 

Things came to a head when Squall was walking into class and bumped into Seifer at the door. Unintentionally Squall screamed, or at least his version of a scream. What it looked like to everyone else was that Squall jumped violently and stared at Seifer like the taller boy was pointing a gun at his head.

 

For his part, Seifer looked at him strangely. But when Seifer's opened his mouth to say something, Squall saw recognition flicker across his eyes and the older boy abruptly went stiff. Squall's blood pressure spiked.

 

Wordlessly Seifer grabbed his arm and hauled him out of the classroom. They both jumped as they all but ran into Quistis. She blinked, frowned at them, and looked down at Seifer's hand on Squall's arm. Her brows rose.

 

“Do I need to be worried?” She asked them.

 

“Uh...No,” said Seifer, glancing at Squall. “It's just a talk.”

 

Quistis looked at Squall, who could feel himself sweating. “Squall?”

 

“Everything's fine,” he said, looking from her to Seifer and back again.

 

“Is this a DC thing or a personal thing?”

 

“Personal,” said Seifer and Squall at the same time.

 

“Five minutes,” she said, stepping around them. Squall noticed how Seifer's eyes lingered on Quistis and felt a fresh burst of awkwardness. “Not a second more.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah...” Seifer hauled Squall down the hallway. Normally Squall wouldn't have let Seifer drag him anywhere, but he knew that if he ran, Seifer would chase him down the hall and tackle him the floor. Seifer had done it before (well, years ago) and that was not how Squall wanted to start any day. Squall let Seifer drag him down to the emergency exit and as soon as Seifer turned around, Squall yanked his arm from the taller boy's grip. He resisted the urge to rub his arm even though it was throbbing slightly.

 

“Alright, what do you know?” Seifer demanded, his voice low and his eyes as sharp as chips of glass. Automatically Squall felt his hackles rise.

 

“About what?” Squall asked, glaring.

 

“About that _quiz_ you put in my pocket.”

 

“...I think you're sick,” said Squall, folding his arms and deciding to go on the offensive. “She's our teacher.”

 

Seifer blinked at him. He seemed genuinely confused.

 

“You think I—” Seifer dragged his hand over his mouth. “Yeah. Okay. I have a problem. But you keep it to yourself, got it?”

 

“How big of a problem is it?” Squall demanded.

 

“None of your business.”

 

Squall narrowed his eyes at the older boy. “How many of those have you drawn?”

 

“None of your business,” Seifer repeated, glaring.

 

“You know, the more I think about it, the creepier it gets—”

 

“Shut your fucking face, Leonhart.”

 

“Maybe I should tell the Instructor.” As Seifer paled, Squall started to back down the hall, saying, “She's really not going to like what you're doing.”

 

“Don't you fucking dare!” Seifer started after him. Squall turned and started to run. At once it turned into exactly the thing that Squall didn't want to have happen and he almost predicted when Seifer tackled him down, grabbing him around the waist like they were thirteen years old again. Squall struggled and managed to twist around onto his back. It wasn't ideal but at least this way he could punch Seifer or at least push him away. Leaning away as Squall struck at his face, Seifer seized Squall by the front of his jacket and started shaking him, hissing, “If I even _think_ you're going to tell her, I'm gonna—”

 

“Seifer!”

 

Seifer froze. Squall twisted around to find Quistis standing in the hall, hands on her waist, eyes practically afire with fury. Several curious students were looking out in the hall too, their faces alive with avid speculation.

 

“Stop that right now!” Quistis ordered. Seifer glared at Squall, shook him once more for good measure, and let go. Squall shoved him hard on the chest and got to his feet, dusting off his behind. “What is going on?”

 

“Difference of opinion,” said Seifer, folding his arms.

 

“Squall?” Quistis demanded, looking at him.

 

“...whatever,” Squall muttered, looking off to the side.

 

Quistis pressed her temples, taking a deep breath. “That's all you're going to say?”

 

Squall shrugged. If it had been just her alone, he would have told her about Seifer's pervert activities, but they had an audience and Squall didn't think it was right to let that sort of news spread everywhere. Seifer would be rightly humiliated, but Quistis didn't need that trouble.

 

Quistis breathed deeply. “Detention for both for both of you. Today.”

 

“What?” Seifer exploded. Squall was a second later after him.

 

“Now get in class and sit down,” said Quistis, pointing into the classroom. “And that is the last time I let the two of you talk by yourselves.”

 

Seifer sputtered but when Quistis fixed him with an icy stare, he huffed and stormed into the classroom, making the watchers scatter. Squall followed at a normal pace and pointedly did not look at Seifer as they took their seats at the back of the classroom. Neither of them noticed Brount, one of their class's Trepies, sneak in and slide into his seat.

 

Quistis didn't notice Brount either; she was too busy rubbing her temples. Great. Detention. Was that really the best she could come up with? Rules were rules, but Quistis hated that the first time she'd actually talked to Seifer in ten days was a reprimand. She didn't want to do that. She wondered if she could make them take detention separately.

 

At his seat, Seifer seethed. Not about the detention, though that sucked. No, unrest roiled in his stomach at how bad things had almost gone, though he had to admit that if Squall had to draw any conclusions, a creepy teacher crush was probably the best of all possibilities. Seifer was more than capable of handling a little scandal and rumor, but Quistis... Seifer supposed he liked her more than he thought if the idea of reputation suffering made him seethe.

 

Class was subdued and people kept sneaking glances back at Seifer and Squall. When the bell rang, everyone exited except for them and Quistis, who walked down the aisle and looked at the both of them, arms folded. She shook her head and sighed.

 

“Do either of you want to tell me what's actually going on?” She asked, softening her voice. “I know you two don't like each other, but fighting in the halls isn't like you. You're both grown and will be taking your field tests soon. You can't carry this juvenile behavior into SeeD.”

 

“It's personal,” said Seifer, trying to communicate with his eyes that it was about them. But she was looking at Squall, who was hunched over at his desk.

 

“Squall?” Quistis prompted.

 

Squall sighed heavily. He looked up and made sure no one was around before looking at Quistis and saying, “Seifer draws naked pictures of you on the backs of his tests.”

 

“You little bastard!” Seifer lunged at Squall, who raised his fists with a flash in his eyes. Quistis intercepted Seifer and bodily threw him back into his seat.

 

“That is enough!” She snapped at him. Then her head whipped around to look at Squall. “Wait, what did you say?”

 

“A couple days ago, I saw something fall out of Seifer's pocket,” said Squall. “It turned out to be a naked sketch of you, Instructor.” As Quistis gasped, Squall pointed at Seifer and said, “Today was all about making sure I didn't talk.”

 

Quistis was pale. She looked stiffly at Seifer, who had his arms tightly folded across his chest and was glaring off into the corner. She looked back at Squall.

 

“You're free to go,” she told him. “Not a word of this to anyone. Especially not to the Headmaster or Xu. I don't want them thinking I can't handle this.”

 

“Whatever,” said Squall, getting to his feet. Straightening his jacket, he glared at Seifer before leaving. As soon as the door hissed shut behind him, Quistis sagged against one of the student consoles and Seifer glanced at her, his hostile gaze transforming into one of concern.

 

“You okay?” He asked her softly.

 

“Why were you carrying that around with you?” She asked in bewilderment.

 

“I just... I miss you, okay?”

 

“And I miss you too, but I don't carry incriminating evidence on my person!”

 

Seifer bristled. “It was a mistake. And he thought I did it, not you. You're fine.”

 

“That doesn't matter!” Quistis fretted.

 

“What's the problem? You didn't sign it.”

 

She opened her mouth to argue but then shut it, shaking her head. “This was a mistake. I shouldn't have...” She clutched her arms.

 

“I told you before I wouldn't tell anyone,” said Seifer softly, watching as Quistis started to tremble. “Not even if they threatened to kick me out. I swear.”

 

“That's not what I'm worried about,” said Quistis, shaking her head. “Hyne, what if this goes on your record?”

 

“Considering that _you'd_ have to make a complaint and _I'd_ have to log it, I don't think that'll happen.”

 

“And if I don't, what would that look like?”

 

Seifer shrugged. “Like you gave me a talk about the importance of boundaries and appropriate ways to express admiration, and I learned my lesson.”

 

He was so easy with answers, like everything was that simple. Quistis wanted to throw something at him.

 

She looked really mad. Seifer swallowed the flutter of foreboding in his chest, but it fought like a living thing. He knew what he should ask, but he didn't want to kill something before it even started. Not anymore.

 

Quistis's chest hurt. There was only one thing to do to protect both of them.

 

“I want you to get rid of it,” she told him.

 

“What?”

 

“Just... Get rid of it.”

 

“...okay,” said Seifer, unspeakably relieved. “Yeah. First thing.”

 

“And another thing...” Quistis swallowed hard. “We... This... It's not...”

 

Seifer stared at her, his hand tightening around his arm. He had the feeling that he knew what she was going to say and if she really wanted to do things like this now, at this very moment, when they were both upset, then he was going to give her every chance to back down. And if she didn't, then he was going to let her feel every moment that she sliced them both to ribbons.

 

Quistis shut her eyes. Seifer was looking at her so steadily, so trustingly. She hated that she cared about that now. Before, when she had wanted to talk about their situation, it had been nearly impossible to get the words out. Now it was like the words were straining against her lips and fear was making her bite them back. Optimism foolishly told her that they could work something out.

 

“It's over,” she choked out. Whatever 'it' was. Seifer slowly closed his eyes and opened them. Quistis cringed as ice seemed to freeze over his eyes.

 

“I knew it,” said Seifer, his voice soft and bitter. It hurt all the more for hoping for the best, but Seifer knew that it was inevitable. He couldn't ever remember being strung up on emotion so high and fast before, even as his inner voice told him that he was stupid to be upset over something that was essentially pure lust. “You don't even want to try.”

 

“This was a very close call,” Quistis began, but Seifer was already shaking his head.

 

“A close call is being under your desk with my hand up your skirt while you're talking to Xu or the Headmaster,” he snapped, making Quistis blush intensely. “Or even kissing you in the Training Center during non-curfew hours. This is a pre-emptive strike.”

 

“One of us has to make the hard decisions before we both get in trouble,” she retorted, arousal mixing unpleasantly with temper.

 

“Except it was anything but _hard_ for you to make,” Seifer retorted, getting to his feet. “You've always been looking to run, haven't you?”

 

“That's...” She wished she could whip him. “I don't want to say these things, Seifer!”

 

“Then don't,” he said, reaching out for her. “We never had this talk.”

 

“Yes we did,” she said, pulling her hand away before he could touch her. She thought he would back down but instead he stepped forward, making her breath catch in her throat. “What are you doing?”

 

“Making you regret it,” he said, pulling her to him and kissing her on the lips. It was stupid and possibly dangerous. Quistis could knee him in the junk or turn away from him with shock and disgust in her eyes, so even as Seifer tried his best to change her mind with kisses, he was nevertheless tense for any sign of resistance. It did not come. Instead Quistis sighed and melted in his arms just like he'd hoped she would, and Seifer felt his dismayed anger and hurt smolder into something just as passionate and a lot less ugly. The memory of their thwarted activities in the car made him want to do something reckless now that she was letting him try a few more things.

 

If this was how Seifer kissed when he was angry, no wonder people picked fights to break up and make up again. Quistis found herself clutching the lapels of his coat as he kissed her with increasing hunger, his hands roving all over her body. She was powerfully aware that anyone who took a single step into the classroom would see something they shouldn't, but everyone was gone for the day. They had a little time before reality came back in. Quistis squeaked as Seifer picked her up and carried her to the front of the classroom, chuckling as she squirmed in his grasp. Sitting her on the front of the desk, he soothed her worries with more breath-stealing kisses until Quistis was hazy with wanting.

 

“You should lock the door,” he whispered to her, his lips brushing against hers.

 

“L-lock the door?” Quistis stammered, shock banishing some of her lust. “W-why?”

 

“Well, unless you want someone to walk in and see us...” said Seifer, nudging her head aside to nibble on her earlobe. Quistis nearly collapsed as sensation tickled down her side and stole the strength from her voice.

 

“ _No, no...”_ she thought, dazed as Seifer started kissing down her neck. _“Definitely don't want that...”_

 

“So how bad do you want to be?” He murmured against her skin.

 

“Bad?”

 

“This desk is plenty wide.”

 

Quistis gasped, blushing so intensely that it almost hurt. “No!”

 

“Got any better ideas?” Seifer asked 'innocently'.

 

“No...” She bit her lip. “Just... If someone walks in...”

 

“No one's going to walk in unless they have reason,” said Seifer, running his hands up her sides to brush over her breasts. As Quistis stifled a little cry of sensation, Seifer's eyes seemed to glow as he said, “So we'll just have to be very, very quiet.”

 

“Are you sure?” She asked him.

 

Seifer laughed, but it was a slightly embarrassed sort of thing. “Yeah. This wouldn't be my first time in an empty classroom.”

 

Quistis gasped again, but this was pure shock. “What?”

 

“What? They're available.”

 

“How often do you...?” She blushed again. “I can't believe you. Wait, have you used _this_ classroom?”

 

“Look, all that experience is going to benefit you,” he pointed out. “So...”

 

Seifer started kissing her again, one hand going to cradle the back of her head as the other stayed on her chest, gliding over her breast and gently kneading until Quistis was panting and curling herself to him. He was _really_ good at this.

 

“Lock the door,” he whispered to her, his lips brushing against hers.

 

Quistis lay back on the desk and twisted around so she could reach her bag. There was a remote control key fob in a side pocket that she used to open the classroom every day, but as she rummaged for the device, she felt Seifer sliding his hand up between her legs, fearlessly pushing up her skirt. He'd taken off his gloves and the heat of his bare hand made electricity dance up her inner thighs.

 

“Stop that,” she told him as her fingertips brushed the key fob.

 

“Okay,” he said, eyes alight with amusement. “I'll do this instead.”

 

'This' was stroking his fingertips firmly over her womanhood, making pleasure zing throughout her body. Quistis gasped, jerking involuntarily.

 

“I can't lock the door if you're distracting me,” she told him, nevertheless arching as he did it again.

 

“I think you can,” he said, drawing his thumb in circles over her clit. She was wearing silky underthings again, though he couldn't see what color they were. Seifer watched as Quistis squirmed and panted, completely overwhelmed by sensation. Then with a hiss of effort she wriggled, reaching over her head to grab her bag. At last she found the remote key and pressed the button. As the door peeped and clicked, Seifer grabbed Quistis's legs and pulled so she was back at the edge of the desk again. She jumped, especially when he dragged her so her legs were around his waist.

 

Another electronic peep made them stare at the door.

 

Immediately Quistis pressed for the door to lock again, but someone on the other side unlocked it. With a curse and a blur of motion, Seifer vaulted over the desk and rolled underneath it. Quistis would have stared at him except she was yanking her skirt back down. She hurriedly turned her back to the door just in case when Xu came in.

 

“Why'd you lock your door?” Xu asked, confused.

 

“I was about to enter grades,” said Quistis, glancing over her shoulder. “I always lock my door for that.”

 

“Oh.” Xu blinked. “Okay. Wanna get some ice cream?”

 

“Ah, not today.”

 

“What?” Xu exclaimed. “ _You_ don't want to get ice cream? Are you sure you're working on grades?”

 

“...Okay,” said Quistis, folding her arms. “I am _not_ working on grades. I'm working on that...thing I told you about.”

 

As Seifer stared incredulously at Quistis from underneath the desk, Xu hooted and clapped her hands.

 

“You are BAD,” Xu said delightedly.

 

“The desk here is more comfortable,” said Quistis.

 

“Mm-hmm, I bet it's downright inspirational.” As Quistis sputtered, Xu suddenly exclaimed and clapped her hands again. “HA! No wait, you wouldn't do that.”

 

“Do what?” Quistis asked cautiously.

 

“Bring those _things_ we bought at the _special store._ You know, just to help things along. _”_

 

Now Quistis gasped while under the desk, Seifer's mind silently exploded with wild speculation. What sort of things did Xu mean? Would he get to see them?

 

“This is a classroom!” Quistis exclaimed.

 

“So?” Xu laughed. “Right now, it's an empty room that you're already using for...you know.” Xu laughed and waved her hands at Quistis, who started to sputter. “Okay, I'm done. I'm done. Hee hee hee. I guess I'll see you later. Drink lots of water.”

 

“Go away, Xu!”

 

Xu giggled on her way out, but Seifer didn't breathe again until he heard her footsteps fade down the hall. Quistis sagged against the desk.

 

“Maybe this is a bad place,” Quistis muttered.

 

“Why was she able to unlock the door?” Seifer asked, climbing out from under the desk.

 

“She's the Assistant Headmaster. She's able to unlock any door she wants.”

 

“Even yours? For your room?”

 

“No, but...” Quistis blushed. “I... I don't know how we'd get up there.”

 

“Hmm... I could climb up the outside of the Garden.”

 

“Don't you dare! ...There are no handholds.”

 

Seifer threw back his head and laughed, making Quistis look at him in astonishment. She had never seen him laugh so hard before, but what was even more surprising was how he threw his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. It was so casual and yet expressive that Quistis found herself blushing to the point of pain.

 

She was so _cute._ Seifer knew she didn't want to hear that, but there was literally no other word to describe the way she looked when she blushed. At least she wasn't shaking anymore. He hoped that meant she was getting more comfortable with him, even though she had just tried to break up with him.

 

“ _I need to become a SeeD,”_ he thought, wrapping both arms around her and hugging her tight. _“If we're both equals, no one can object. And...”_

 

And what? Maybe she wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen with him? Because the longer time went on, the more he wanted to spend it with Quistis even if it meant being seen in public, with people gossiping and giving him the 'she's too good for you' look. He _hated_ that look.

 

But as long as Quistis wasn't looking at him like that, he could stand it.

 

“ _Maybe she doesn't want to be seen with me in public, and the fact that I'm still a student now is a convenient excuse. She might want to break things off as soon as I'm a SeeD._

 

“ _...All the more reason to go at her hard right now._

 

“ _...On the other hand, if I stretch things out, she'll definitely come back...”_

 

It occurred to Seifer that this was probably why so many conversations he had overheard between girls had something to do with 'putting out too fast'. It seemed like it was better to hold out for as long as possible in case the guy was only after sex. Until now Seifer had thought that was being dishonest since if he liked a girl, he liked her for a lot more than her pussy and being intimate together was one of life's great pleasures. On the other hand, Quistis had already tried to break up with him a few minutes ago and while he was pretty sure that a few orgasms might change her mind, perhaps it was best to keep a few things in reserve.

 

“ _I'll knock her out and leave her begging for more.”_

 

It made Seifer wonder if she felt the same way he did; did she actually want to know anything about him, or just use him for fun times? If it was the second thing, fine—he just had to know so they were on the same page. But the first... Well, the first would be better.

 

“ _I don't want to lose you. Not before I get to see the real you, anyway.”_

 

Seifer seemed preoccupied but more importantly, he wasn't taking advantage of their rare alone time. Quistis stood up on her tiptoes again and kissed him, immediately bringing his focus back to the present. Mindful of the setting, Quistis did not let Seifer remove any of her clothes as his touch became more insistent, but he managed to tease her through her uniform and once again get her skirt up around her waist. Quistis shivered as Seifer kissed down her neck and then went to his knees, sliding her panties off with a practiced air. Heat made her vision go a bit hazy as reality and fantasy blurred before her eyes. The touch of his lips against her fevered flesh still shocked her as once again Seifer patiently, tenderly coaxed her out of her reluctance. This time when the pleasure mounted and filled her with the ache for more, Seifer slid two fingers inside and Quistis had to cover her mouth as she felt him expanding her boundaries in more ways than one. He never stopped the clever motions of his lips and tongue, making her shudder for more.

 

With every passing minute it was getting harder to hold back and hold out, especially when Quistis's hips started rocking in time to the motion he was setting with his hand. Seifer nipped at her inner thigh, watching as Quistis trembled. She was so responsive that he could barely restrain himself, but he knew for sure that he did not want Quistis's first time to be anything like the rushed mess that his first time was. Fortunately Rinoa had been very understanding and very happy to continue once he'd played around with her until he could go again, but Seifer liked to think that he'd learned a lot in a year. He watched Quistis carefully as her breath began to come shallower and her legs began to tremble. When she grabbed his shoulders again (holy Hyne did she have a hard grip!) Seifer ramped his efforts until she was gasping, trembling, all but falling onto him as she climaxed. She tasted peculiarly sweet but looked even sweeter all soft and open for him, her eyes half-glazed with pleasure. Impatiently Seifer ran his hands up and down her thighs, telling himself that this was enough for now.

 

It was impossible to imagine what might exist beyond this, though Quistis knew that there was more pleasure to be had. As she caught her breath, Seifer got back to his feet and she watched as he wiped off his mouth and put his gloves back on. She was beyond grateful that he was so willing to give her pleasure at the drop of a hat, even with her stupid hesitations and flinching. Quistis could admit to herself that she was glad he hadn't just walked away when she'd told him they were done, though a nasty little part of her told her that they were only prolonging the inevitable.

 

“Come here,” she said, catching him by the belt. “I want to return the favor.”

 

“Nah,” he said, resting his hands on hers. “Next time.”

 

“That's what you said last time,” she said. Quistis bit her lip. “Was... Was it bad? If it was, I'd like you to tell me.”

 

“No, it definitely wasn't bad,” said Seifer, pulling her hands free. She looked so cute and the fact that she was willing to go down on him made him ache, but he had a plan, damn it, and he was going to stick to it. “But I think we've taken all the time we can.”

 

“The door is still locked,” she said, running her hands up his stomach and chest. Her touch sent little shivers racing over his skin, pooling with pleasure in his heart and hips.

 

“Yes, well... Uh...”

 

“Sit down,” she said, pointing at the chair behind the desk. “Please.”

 

“Errr...” Seifer sighed shakily. He really wanted to do more. He glanced at the clock instead. Detention normally lasted an hour and they'd been messing around for forty minutes. Shit. He would never last twenty minutes, not the way he was feeling now.

 

Though... If he couldn't hold on, they couldn't have sex. And they would have to see each other at least one more time.

 

“I think this is backwards,” he said, walking to the chair and sitting down. There were low armrests on the chair that he put his hands on and Seifer tried not to smirk as Quistis came to him, feeling rather like a king in this moment. A pleasant shiver went over him when Quistis undid her tie.

 

“Wearing anything sexy under there?” He asked her, nodding at her uniform.

 

“Maybe,” she said. She'd pulled her skirt back down but knowing she didn't have anything on under it made Seifer shift in his seat. Seifer smiled when she unbuttoned her jacket and showed him the silky shell she was wearing, underneath which he could see something that looked black and strappy.

 

“You should show me that,” he told her, gesturing at her hidden lingerie.

 

“I'll do what I like,” she told him and as Seifer chuckled, took hold of her tie. Seifer immediately sat up, unconsciously licking his lips, and Quistis blushed as what was an extremely utilitarian movement stuttered and slowed.

 

“Stop looking at me,” she said, looking away.

 

“I can't,” he said. “You're too damn sexy.”

 

“Stop it,” Quistis repeated, turning even redder.

 

Seifer held his hands up and sat back in the chair. Quistis set her tie aside. Self-consciousness in its purest form still thrummed in her veins, so she looked down at the ground as she rolled up her shirt sleeves past her elbows. From this vantage point she could only see Seifer from the waist down and the tenting in his lap made her both blush and shiver. This was perilously close to her original imagining weeks ago and the idea that it soon might be real was almost too much to think about. Seifer shifted in the chair as Quistis approached and set her fingertips on his shoulders. She was still blushing, but her eyes flicked up to meet his from time to time as she pulled her hands down his chest, his stomach, then over his hips and legs. She circled back up as she knelt on the ground and Seifer bit his lip so he wouldn't swear with how good she looked. He nearly lost his cool when she started to undo his fly.

 

“Can I look this time?” He asked, trying to keep his voice light.

 

“Hmm... No,” she said, apparently not realizing he was joking.

 

“Really?”

 

“Really.”

 

Seifer grumbled but closed his eyes. Quistis was glad even as she hoped that one day she could get over her self-consciousness of being watched.

 

It took some fishing but Quistis managed to pull Seifer's cock out of his pants without taking too much time. She still wasn't sure if she knew what to do or not, but his hardness was very encouraging and Quistis thought that as long as she didn't bite him, it was probably alright. She pulled down and Seifer groaned, thrusting up to meet her hand.

 

“ _Alright,”_ thought Quistis, mentally cracking her knuckles. _“What have I seen?”_

 

Her time on the pay site had introduced her to a great many wonderful people with very creative minds, and they all read each other's work as a show of support and...you know. So Quistis tried to remember everything that she'd seen her fellow artists depict and apply it to this situation. In the car she had started off by sucking, so this time she licked, pushing Seifer's hips down into the chair in case he tried to thrust into her mouth. He was not as good at being quiet as she was; Seifer sighed and groaned softly, his hands tightening on the armrests of the chair and making his leather gloves creak. It was deeply erotic. When she had licked every inch of his cock, Quistis eased her lips over his glans and sucked, increasing pressure as the want on Seifer's face grew more intense.

 

“Fuck,” Seifer groaned, awash with pleasure. He'd thought so last time, but again realized that Quistis did not suck dick like it was her first time. She was hesitant, but not shy; when Seifer had been with Rinoa, she had been simultaneously determined and really reluctant, which had been something of a turnoff. Seifer felt her tongue curling along the underside of his shaft, making him want to cry out with pleasure and then grit his teeth as he remembered where they were. When she started to bob her head, sucking with just the perfect amount of pressure and stroking at the same time, Seifer could not hold back a soft oath of appreciation. Belatedly he realized that she'd probably done a lot of research on this subject, but that realization only fueled his appreciation and in return, his desire for her. He was definitely not going to last twenty minutes.

 

Quistis glanced up at Seifer and had to fight against giggling. There was nothing funny about how good he looked (no, that was _very_ good and nothing but pure pleasure), but if he knew what she was _thinking,_ well he'd probably laugh too. Quistis had been singing a song in her head and changing what she was doing based on where she was in the song, but now the song was over so she was pretending that she was bobbing for apples. Her lips were feeling slightly numb and her jaw was starting to hurt, not just because she was trying not to nick him but also because sucking as hard as he liked pulled achingly on her cheeks. She gripped him first with one hand and then two, which took a lot of pressure off her mouth and let her swirl her tongue around his head as she stroked him off. The chair shook as Seifer's head dropped against the padded back, his mouth falling open and his chest heaving as Quistis felt him getting even harder under her hands. Her hands were wet with spit and it was starting to run down her wrists and elbows, which made her glad that she'd rolled her sleeves up. At the same time, her hair kept falling into her face, sticking to her lips and getting in front of her glasses, and there was no way for her to get it away without stopping what she was doing. The frustration and annoyance started to take the edge off the very real pleasure she was getting from making Seifer gasp and cry out for her.

 

“ _I should have retied my hair,”_ thought Quistis, taking a moment to sit back and try to blow the long bangs out of her face. It only sort of worked.

 

“What are you doing?” Seifer asked, hearing weird puffing noises that had no effect on what he was feeling.

 

“It's my hair,” she told him. Seifer swallowed, imagining that those long falls of golden blonde falling into her face, framing her pink cheeks and bright blue eyes as she looked up at him...

 

“Here,” he said, reaching out blindly for where he thought she was. The heel of his hand bumped something hard with a corner—her glasses. Oh fuck, she'd kept her glasses on. Yesss. Trying not to be distracted from his goal, Seifer slid his hand underneath her hair and stroked it back, holding it gently against her head. “Better?”

 

“Don't pull,” she warned him.

 

“I won't.” Seifer blamed porn and inexperienced, insecure idiots for making girls automatically fear having their hair handled when they were giving head; he wasn't gonna facefuck anyone who didn't want that done, not to mention there was the very real possibility of getting barfed all over. No thanks. Cautiously Seifer did the same to the other side of Quistis's long hair and sighed as Quistis started to pick up where she'd left off, this time stopping for nothing. She was a very quick learner and rather bold when she couldn't be seen. Seifer appreciated it even as the urge to look became stronger and almost unbearable, and as Quistis bent down, sucking as much of him into her mouth as she could hold, Seifer couldn't take it anymore. He cracked his eyes open and saw what he had literally been dreaming of for weeks; Quistis Trepe, the Prodigal SeeD, his smart and deadly teacher, and utterly gorgeous in her own right, on her knees before him and her perfect mouth stuffed full of his cock. It was too much.

 

“I'm gonna cum,” Seifer gasped, arching into her touch. He felt her purr with satisfaction and quicker than he wanted, the pleasure seemed to boil through him, making him buck and writhe as the elation of pure fantasy seemed to kick his ecstasy into overdrive. He felt her jerk a bit as he came but she swallowed without gagging or choking, and when she pulled back, Seifer saw a thin, gleaming strand of something stretch from the tip of his cock to her mouth. Her lips were red and swollen with effort, even more perfectly plump than they usually were. She licked her lips and smiled, looking very pleased with herself.

 

“Good?” she said, looking up at him with amusement.

 

“Very good,” he said with feeling.

 

Quistis glanced at the clock. It had been nearly an hour since “detention” had started and in any case, Seifer wouldn't be ready for more for a while. As Quistis stood up, Seifer grabbed her face and kissed her deeply, making her freeze in surprise. She knew she probably tasted of semen still, which was why she was stunned that he was kissing her with such fervor. Didn't that bother him? She thought that bothered men.

 

“ _Well, obviously it doesn't bother him,”_ she thought as his thorough, deeply appreciative touch made desire bloom in her chest. She had loved watching him cum and was more worked up from that than she wanted to admit, but if he kept kissing her like this then she'd throw time restraints out the window. Quistis ran her hands through his hair, which was softer than she'd thought it would be.

 

“Tell me you want to see me again,” Seifer breathed when they broke for air.

 

“Okay,” Quistis whispered back even as sensibility shrieked.

 

“And no freaking out and breaking things off at the last minute.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Okay.” He kissed her again. “Because the next time—”

 

“Shush.” Quistis kissed him chastely on the lips, nipping at him before she pulled back. “Give me something to look forward to... In two days' time.”

 

“Okay.” Seifer smiled, making Quistis smile back. “I don't suppose I need any more vehicle hours, do I?”

 

“No, you're all done with those. But we'll come up with something.”

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: I imagine Squall's head making a _wocketa wocketa wocketa_ noise with the violence of the shaking that Seifer deals out. It makes me laugh.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	11. Chapter 11

 /\/\/\/\/\

8 February 2015  
  
This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

The next day there was a buzz in the halls that made Squall lift his head and look around a bit more, a sort of excitement that only came around when strangers came to the Garden or when something really big was going to happen. Squall suspected it was a bit of both and hoped it was the SeeD field test. Usually the last test of a cadet's career, it was the toughest and the deadliest of all tests, with several cadets usually dying with each one; however, once you made it past the test, that was it. You _were_ the elite. You were SeeD.

 

Squall had never taken the field test before, but had heard tales of how terrifying and exacting they were. Seifer had taken it multiple times, three or four depending on if a mission scrapped midway counted. Though Squall didn't particularly like Seifer, that didn't change the fact that Seifer was the only other gunblade specialist in Balamb Garden AND that he had prior experience that might prove useful.

 

“ _If nothing else, if I do everything he doesn't, I'll probably pass...”_

 

So in the interest of information, Squall went to Seifer's room that night. He always had the door open.

 

“Leonhart,” said Seifer by way of greeting, leaning back from his computer. It was so casual that Squall almost didn't notice him switch the monitor off. What had he been looking at? Or...drawing? Squall tried not to think about it.

 

“What can I do for you?” Seifer asked in distinctly unenthusiastic tones.

 

“I heard there's a field test tomorrow,” said Squall.

 

“Yeah, there might be,” said Seifer, his eyes gleaming.

 

“Wanna train?”

 

Seifer sat up a bit. “When?”

 

“The morning.”

 

Seifer looked consideringly at him. “The usual place?”

 

Squall nodded. They'd learned a long time ago that fighting on the practice ground was not a good way for either of them to get experience, mostly because they kept getting interrupted by instructors who mistook their focus for homicidal intent. After some hunting they'd found a flattish area in the mountains behind the Garden that was surrounded by boulders, and the distance combined with the cover made it perfect for their purposes.

 

“Okay, sure.” Seifer smirked. “It's been a while since I've handed you your ass.”

 

“Don't be so confident,” said Squall, folding his arms across his chest. “You've been sitting on yours an awful lot.”

 

“Ha! When was the last time you went through the Training Center, Leonhart?” Seifer laughed as Squall looked away, annoyed. “And you haven't even taken your GF test.”

 

“ _Damn, I knew I was forgetting something,”_ Squall thought with a grimace. “I'll do it tomorrow. After I kick _your_ ass.”

 

Seifer chuckled. Squall glared at him and then sucked up his pride.

 

“So... If it is a field test... What are they like?”

 

“Scared, Leonhart?”

 

“Cautious.”

 

Seifer smirked at him. But to Squall's surprise, he said, “That's the right attitude to have. Field tests are tough.”

 

“How so?”

 

Seifer folded his arms across his chest and jerked his head at his computer desk, which confused Squall for a moment until he saw the folding chair underneath it. As Squall unfolded the chair and sat down opposite Seifer, the older boy's expression became serious and for a long time he said nothing, his eyes dark with memory.

 

“I've taken the test four times,” said Seifer, settling the question of whether a half-done mission counted. “And every time it was something different. Let me tell you, Squall; they'll shoot you in the back, they'll cut your head off, they will literally tear you apart, and they're not gonna do it neatly or quickly. The only point of these tests is to see if you survive. So you fucking survive no matter what it takes. Fuck the rules. **Survive**. I'm not going to be the only gunblade specialist in Balamb, you hear?”

 

“...yeah,” said Squall, surprised. “Are... Are they that bad?”

 

“They're worse,” said Seifer. “People don't drop out after they fail the test because they failed the test, Squall. It's because they don't want to take another one again.”

 

Squall nodded mutely. He got to his feet. “Thanks,” he said to Seifer. “See you tomorrow morning. Eight.”

 

“Yeah,” said Seifer, leaning back in his chair. “Hey Squall.”

 

“What?”

 

“You're not gonna get killed by anything that can't kill me. And I'm damn hard to kill.”

 

“ _What the hell is he talking about?”_ Squall wondered. _“Is he trying to be reassuring?”_

 

“Whatever,” said Squall, leaving the room.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: I figure that large-scale missions suitable to take SeeD candidates on don't happen regularly, so Garden schedules them unpredictably and people take them unpredictably. Hence why Seifer has taken 4 tests since becoming eligible to take them at the age of 15.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	12. Chapter 12

/\/\/\/\/\

 

9 February 2015  
  
This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

It had been a lovely morning. Asano Kadowaki had woken up feeling refreshed and energetic, the birds were singing, and nobody was in the infirmary, which Asano was very pleased about. She puttered about the clinic anyway, brewing tea and wondering if she should start reading a new book, when the door slid open and heavy footfalls made her turn.

 

“What seems to be—holy Hyne, what happened?” Asano exclaimed as Seifer trudged in, bleeding profusely from the face and carrying an unconscious boy over his shoulder.

 

“Training,” he grunted. He slung the boy onto the nearest empty bed and Asano saw that he'd slapped a bandage over the boy's face. There was blood _everywhere_ and Asano wanted to slap her forehead at how stupid these children could be. “Fucker tried to take my head off.”

 

“So you hit him back?” Asano demanded, gesturing at the boy's bandaged face.

 

“Hell no. That's what happens when he doesn't keep his guard up. Except he was so mad he couldn't see straight, he tried to kill me, and then he fell off a cliff.”

 

“What!?” When Asano looked at Seifer suspiciously, he raised his hands.

 

“I swear on my life, that is exactly what happened,” said Seifer. His face wound had scabbed over but blood had already dripped down his neck and soaked his shirt. More blood spattered his coat. He must scared the daylights out of anyone who happened to see him, especially considering the insensate boy over his shoulder.

 

“He must have been dizzy from blood loss,” Seifer continued. “Because he charged at a me that wasn't actually there and tripped. I tried to catch him, but...” He shrugged. “By the time I found him, he was knocked out cold.”

 

“Oh lord,” Asano groaned.

 

“You might want to fix him up fast,” said Seifer. “He's going to be pissed if he misses the field test today.”

 

Asano glared at him and peeled off the bandage to properly dress and heal the wound. More than likely it was going to scar, which was a pity considering how fair the boy's face was otherwise. Squall Leonhart, that was his name. Asano remembered seeing him in the infirmary frequently as a child, usually having been beaten up by Seifer.

 

“Why do you hate this boy?” Asano asked Seifer as she heard him rummaging through her supplies.

 

“I don't hate him. Why does everyone think I hate him?” Asano heard Seifer unroll a section of gauze tape. “We're not exactly friends, but we get each other.”

 

“You fight with each other in the halls, you throw insults at each other, and you keep putting him in the infirmary.”

 

“Doctor, look at him.”

 

“I _am_ looking at him.”

 

“No, I mean... _Look_ at him. He's skinny as fuck. He is short. He still needs two hands to swing his gunblade.”

 

Asano took her eyes off Squall to stare at Seifer in disbelief as he used iodine and gauze pads to wipe off his own face.

 

“Are you _concerned_ about him?” Asano asked incredulously. “Are you trying to toughen him up?”

 

“If not me, who else?” Seifer wiped the blood off his face, wincing a bit as he dabbed at the edges around the long, fresh cut. It looked very deep. “Leonhart's a loner. No friends, no family. He's gonna die in a hot minute if he's not on his toes and nobody else is going out of their way to make sure he knows what he's doing.”

 

Asano threw her hands into the air. “Boys! I will never understand them, for as long as I live.”

 

After an examination and quick palpation, Asano deduced that Squall seemed to be fine, just unconscious. She cast a Cura on him anyway and went to check on Seifer. His facial wound had scabbed up enough that he wouldn't need stitches, but she didn't cast Cura on him immediately.

 

“Coat off,” she said briskly. “I need to check you for other injuries.”

 

“I'm fine,” grumbled Seifer, but he did as he was told. Asano tsked at the bruises marbling his pale arms.

 

“Are you sure you're not the one who fell off the cliff?” She asked, palpating his arms. Nothing seemed to be broken or even strained, a testament to Seifer's physical condition.

 

“I may have slipped a bit on my way to get Leonhart,” he said, wincing as she dug her fingers into a few of his bruises.

 

“It's a good thing you wear that heavy coat,” she said, inspecting his other arm. Since Seifer was awake, she put him through a range of motion test and a few other diagnostics to make sure he was fine before finally casting Cura on him. “Tsk! And I suppose you're taking the field test too?”

 

“Yep.”

 

Asano rolled her eyes. “Well, I'll write you an excuse so you can get out of class. You need to rest.”

 

“Nah,” he said, making her blink at him. “I'll be fine.”

 

“I'm giving you a pass out of class and you're refusing?”

 

“The test hasn't been officially announced yet,” said Seifer. “And I want to be there when it is.”

 

/\/\/\

 

“Quistis Trepe speaking.”

 

“Quistis, it's Asano. One of your students is in the infirmary. He was unconscious, but he's awake now. You should come and get him.”

 

Quistis looked up from the class briefing, her stomach sinking. “Who is it?”

 

“Squall Leonhart.”

 

She sighed in relief and immediately felt bad about that. Still... “What happened?”

 

Asano's sigh made the phone line crackle. “He was training with Seifer and they had an accident.”

 

“What sort of accident?”

 

“They cut each other's faces. Shallow wounds, but aiming for the face...”

 

Quistis sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “And where is Seifer now?”

 

“He's coming to class. He says he wants to hear the formal announcement of the field test.”

 

“Mm-hmm... You said Squall was unconscious?”

 

“Yes, though... Oh, he's waking up. I'll tell him to wait for you.”

 

“Thank you, Asano.”

 

Class wouldn't start for another fifteen minutes. Locking the details of the upcoming field test in her valise, Quistis polished her glasses on her top before heading out into the hall. She was mildly surprised to see Seifer exiting the elevator, but when he turned the corner to come down the hall, she gasped aloud at the sight of the angry red line that cut dangerously close to his eye and carved through his forehead. It was at least a fingerlength long and looked to have sliced through bone. Seifer stopped in the hall as he saw her horrified gaze.

 

“...That bad?” He asked, walking toward her. She saw him unconsciously reach up to touch the mark.

 

“It's...” Quistis fought down the urge to run up to him and make sure the face wound was the worst of his injuries, but 1, they were in public and 2, he wasn't moving like he was seriously injured. So she folded her arms and waited for him to come to her. “...It's dramatic. I heard you knocked Squall unconscious?”

 

“He fell off a cliff.”

 

“How convenient,” she said with light sarcasm, but Seifer looked at her flatly and she realized he was telling the truth. “Where were you?”

 

“Back behind the Garden, near the cemetery,” he said. “No one bothers us up there. So, I heard there's a field test today...”

 

It never failed to amaze Quistis how the students _always_ knew before the formal announcement.

 

“There is,” she said evenly. Seifer was now in front of her and she felt that magnetic charge running between their bodies, making her blood thrum with significance. “I'll make the formal announcement later, but...”

 

“...yeah.” Seifer's gaze was intense. Quistis knew what he was thinking, because it had been on her mind too.

 

“ _If he passes... If he becomes SeeD... What do_ we _become?”_

 

“...I'll be back soon,” she said, dropping her arms from her chest. “Please take your seat in class.”

 

She saw a pop of surprise over his heated gaze, but he understood the need for discretion and walked on. Quistis breathed a thin, silent stream of relief and went to the elevator.

 

“ _Of all days to get into a training accident, it would of course be this one...”_

 

When Quistis went to the infirmary, she found Squall lying on his back on one of the beds, his hand over his face. Worried that Seifer had struck his eye or something similar, Quistis went over to him at once.

 

“Squall?”

 

Squall dropped his hand from his face. Though she knew he'd been hit in the face too, it was still a shock to see the long red mark streaking from above his right eye and down under his left. Seifer had hit him hard enough to carve into bone too.

 

“ _These boys,”_ Quistis thought irritably.

 

“What happened?” She asked him, folding her arms across her chest.

 

“Seifer and I went to train,” said Squall, sitting up. “We got carried away.”

 

“I see. And who hit who first?”

 

“...”

 

“I'm not asking you to tattle, Squall, I want the correct series of events.”

 

Squall sighed. “Seifer hit me first,” he said reluctantly.

 

“And how was he able to hit you?” Quistis asked. “The direction of the blow indicates he struck you from overhead, and he's taller than you but not by that much. Were you on the ground?”

 

Squall nodded. “He shot me in the face with a Fire spell. I blocked it, but the sparks got in my eyes. The first thing I saw was...”

 

Quistis pinched the bridge of her nose again. She could completely believe Seifer would fight fast and dirty like that because she had seen him in the Lightning Forest. And it was hard to argue with the scar.

 

“Then I got mad,” said Squall, drawing her focus. To her surprise, Squall's gaze was lowered and he seemed ashamed. “Really... Really mad. So I swung at him from below. I wasn't thinking. If... If I'd been a little closer, I would have hit his jaw or his neck and not his face... I don't think I've ever been that mad before.”

 

“Don't be too hard yourself,” sighed Quistis. When Squall glanced at her, she said, “Facial injuries are very personal. I'm just glad neither of you lost an eye.”

 

Squall nodded silently.

 

They walked back to the classroom, where Squall hunched into his shoulders and slunk into his seat as everyone looked at him in shock. Seifer was already in his seat, arms thrown back over his chair, and when Squall took his seat on the opposite side of the aisle, he looked sidelong at the brunet boy. The air in the classroom thickened with tension as Squall pointedly ignored Seifer.

 

“Good morning,” Quistis called loudly, drawing everyone's attention. She sat behind her desk, taking a moment to make sure all eyes were on her. “Now, as you may have heard... Yes, there is a field test this afternoon. Those of you who failed last month's written exam or who are otherwise abstaining are dismissed; I encourage you to use the time to study the manual or hone your skills in the Training Center. SeeD candidates are to report to the front hall at 1500 hours. Oh, and... Boys?”

 

There was no question who the 'boys' were. Every head in Quistis's classroom swiveled around to look at Squall and Seifer.

 

“Kill the enemy, not your training partner,” said Quistis. The first she directed at Seifer, the last she directed at Squall. Seifer huffed and looked away, while Squall didn't take his eyes off the floor.

 

“Class is dismissed for the day,” said Quistis, making the students titter with excitement. “And I want to see the two of you up here, right now.”

 

“They're gonna get it,” she heard Alia whisper to Nina as the Trepies left the class and Squall and Seifer came up to the desk. Quistis waited until everyone had left.

 

“Squall already told me what happened,” she said, looking at Seifer. “But I haven't had your version yet.”

 

Seifer's eyes flicked to Squall and then back to her. “We were training,” he said.

 

“And during training, you shot a fireball into his face?”

 

“It's happened to me on field tests before,” said Seifer, refusing to be cowed by her disapproval. “And it'll happen on missions too.”

 

Quistis's lips thinned. “And then?”

 

“And then I assumed he could get his guard up,” said Seifer, looking at Squall with annoyance.

 

“I was blinded,” said Squall, equally annoyed.

 

“All you had to do was draw the blade in front of your face,” said Seifer, mimicking the motion. “You didn't even have to lift it.” As Squall scoffed and looked away, Seifer said to Quistis, “Then Pretty Boy lost his temper over his new lack of symmetry and tried to cut my head off, which is when I got this dashing accent.”

 

Quistis looked at Squall, who just folded his arms.

 

“Squall?” She said. “Seifer just accused you of attempted murder. Aren't you going to say anything?”

 

“No,” said Squall, sounding like a rebellious teenager.

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because at the time, I did want to kill him,” said Squall, making Seifer's brows raise slightly. “I thought he was trying to kill me.”

 

“I was trying to scare you,” said Seifer, making Squall glance at him. “I really thought you'd block.”

 

“Well, I didn't.”

 

“Obviously not.”

 

They stared at each other for a while, hackles half-lifted, before both of them eased into more relaxed postures. Squall looked at Quistis, who wasn't sure about what had just happened.

 

“Permission to get ready for the GF test?” He asked her. “I haven't taken mine yet.”

 

“Oh... Of course. Get ready and I'll meet you at the front gate in about 30 minutes,” she said. Squall walked off, leaving Quistis alone with Seifer. She looked at him levelly, refusing to be moved by the slow, rakish smile spreading across his face, and abruptly she swung onto her feet, saying, “Walk with me, Seifer.”

 

“Uh... Okay.”

 

Seifer followed Quistis out of the classroom. Her back was very straight and her boot heels seemed to strike the floor particularly hard, which made Seifer wonder if she was angry. They walked to the elevator and Quistis hit the button for the third floor, which made Seifer's brows raise.

 

“For the record,” he told her as the doors closed. “You heard it was an accident. So if we're going to see the Headmaster—”

 

“We're not going to see the Headmaster,” said Quistis, making Seifer look at her closely. Who was speaking now, the Instructor or the woman he liked? Her next sentence didn't clarify things much. “Seifer, do you want to be a SeeD?”

 

“Yeah.” Why would he be here if he didn't?

 

“Honestly and truly, do you want to be a SeeD?”

 

“Yes. Why are you asking?”

 

Abruptly she whirled, glaring, and if Seifer hadn't already been leaning against the back of the elevator he would have taken a step back. She looked  _mad._ When she raised her hand to point at him, he half-expected to get smacked.

 

“Then stop sabotaging your chances!” Quistis half-shouted, her blue eyes sparking. “Things like this reflect negatively on your ability to work with others, which is _very_ important since we do not dispatch single SeeDs! Ever!”

 

“I said it was an—”

 

“It doesn't matter! You have to stop...” Quistis took a deep breath, pressing her hands over her face. She was shaking, except this seemed to be rage rather than embarrassment. “Seifer, you have a great many positive qualities, but working with people who aren't Fujin or Raijin is not one of them. I'll announce this formally later, but for the SeeD test, _you_ are the squad leader. And you're going to be working with Squall and Zell Dincht.”

 

Seifer made a noise of disgust but flinched again as Quistis glared at him.

 

“I don't care if you don't like it,” she said as though he'd voiced his thoughts aloud. “That's who you're going to be working with. And damn it, you are going to work with them _beautifully,_ because if you don't pass the SeeD test, I'll... I'll... I'll break—”

 

“Okay, okay!” said Seifer hastily, panic hitting like a thunderbolt as he realized what she was about to say. “I'll work with them, I promise.”

 

“No grandstanding!” She pointed her finger at him like it was a gun.

 

“Okay!”

 

“Promise you'll pass,” she said fiercely.

 

“I promise.”

 

“Good,” she said, the temper easing out of her as the elevator dinged onto the third floor. “Now... Just for a little incentive...”

 

“Oh?” Seifer's brows rose as Quistis looked at him significantly. She motioned for him to follow and feeling excited and more than a little nervous, Seifer walked behind Quistis as she took a left from the elevator to the faculty rooms. No one was around right now, but he looked up and down the hall as Quistis took him to a door with an embossed nameplate of “Trepe”. She unlocked the door with a swipe of a keycard and pulled him in by the belt buckle, making him laugh. For a moment he thought he saw someone out of the corner of his eye... Nah. Not important now.

 

“Sit there,” she said, pointing at her computer chair. But Seifer didn't hear her at first because he was too busy looking around.

 

“Wow,” he said, eyeing the massive picture window overlooking the bed and out over the Alcauld Plains. The back half of the room was slightly elevated and further separated from the main area with open-sided bookshelves that were nearly filled. Quistis had enough room to have a little sitting area _and_ a workspace, which Seifer gravitated toward. As he'd thought, she had a nice dual-monitor drawing setup and one of those fancy tablets that you could draw directly into the computer with. Belatedly he processed her words and sat down in the computer chair, which was very comfy. “You know, if I'd known the Instructors got rooms like these, I would want to teach.”

 

“Well, get two years of experience in the field and you can apply,” said Quistis, making him look at her in surprise. “You could be a gunblade instructor.”

 

“Maybe,” said Seifer, looking around the room again. “This room is _huge._ Like a quad, but all to yourself. Are SeeD rooms this big?”

 

“No,” said Quistis. “Normal SeeD rooms are about a fifth of this size.”

 

Seifer whistled. And then whistled again as Quistis began to undress, but she shook her finger at him with a smile.

 

“You sit there and watch,” she told him. “Otherwise I'm going to be late.”

 

“Get another SeeD to take Squall,” said Seifer, nevertheless smiling as Quistis took off her tie and jacket. “The Fire Cavern's not that far.”

 

“I'm his Instructor, so I'll go with him,” she said. She was wearing a thin, silky shell under her jacket today and she saw Seifer's smile widen as he anticipated what was underneath, but she wasn't going to let him off that easily. Instead Quistis waved and went over to her closet, which was on a wall that couldn't see around. When she heard the chair click, she called out, “I said sit.”

 

“I am sitting.”

 

Quistis glanced around and saw Seifer holding the edges of the chair and rolling out, pulling himself along with his heels. He looked very pleased with himself and Quistis had to laugh.

 

“Fine,” she said. “But stay right there. No touching.”

 

Seifer made a noise of annoyance but sat, even sitting on his hands when Quistis gave him a look. For a man whose temper was legendary, he did know how to take direction.

 

Quistis undressed, feeling Seifer's hungry gaze intensify as she unzipped her skirt and took off her shell. She was wearing plain white panties and a plain white front-clasp bra, but the low sigh she heard Seifer made made her feel better than if she was wearing high-end fashion. She snuck a peek over her shoulder and blushed, suddenly shy when she saw him leaning forward and grinning.

 

“Can I see you from the front?” He asked her.

 

“No,” she said, taking her battle dress off the hanger. The gauntlets came on first, followed by the vest and the belt. Last on were the long black socks that went over the knee and folded down over the reinforced kneepads of her boots. When she turned around, she was perfectly professional again and Seifer was still grinning like he'd won the lottery.

 

“That's it,” she said, anticipating a look of disappointment. However, Seifer kept smiling. “What?”

 

“Any time I get to see you near-naked makes me happy,” he said.

 

Quistis blushed. Trying to salvage some semblance of control, she walked over to him and put her hands on his knees, resting her weight on them as she leaned over him with a smile. Quistis kissed him chastely on the lips, enjoying the subtle press of his mouth against hers. When Seifer sighed and tried to go for more, Quistis leaned back and at last saw the flash of frustration she'd been hoping for.

 

“Behave yourself until I get back,” she said, going for the door. As she pulled her whip down from over the mantle, she saw Seifer get out of her chair and pull it back to its usual place.

 

“I don't plan on causing any trouble,” he said, smirking.

 

“Oh really?”

 

“Hey, you said not to sabotage my chances. So—” Abruptly Seifer started patting his pockets, a frown on his face. As they walked out of her room, Seifer pulled a phone from his pocket and Quistis noted that his face went still. “...shit.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Uh... Something personal,” said Seifer with a quick, strange half-smile. “I'll see you at 1500 hours, okay?”

 

“Don't be late for the briefing,” said Quistis, wondering what was wrong with him.

 

He nodded and since he obviously needed to take the call, Quistis left him alone on the third floor. She wasn't bothered until she heard him answer and say, “Hey... Rinoa.”

 

“ _Rinoa is a girl's name,”_ Quistis thought, glancing over her shoulder. 

 

She tried to put it out of mind as she went down to meet Squall at the front gate, but an ugly thread of doubt was rapidly growing into a worm. She was not stupid. She knew that Seifer must have had other girlfriends to be able to do what he did, but it was one thing to acknowledge their existence and entirely another to realize that he was still in contact with them.

 

“ _Well, we never said we were exclusive...”_ She realized. _“And we're at the age where we don't_ have _to be monogamous. In fact, it's probably better not to be. How else are we going to know what we like and do not like?”_

 

On the other hand, Seifer was friends with Fujin and all the times she'd seem _them_ interact, there was not a hint of attraction between them. Maybe Rinoa was like that, another platonic female friend.

 

“ _She must be someone from Galbadia. That's the only reason I wouldn't know her name; I'm passing familiar with most of the people in Balamb Garden and Balamb Town.”_

 

Quistis started to chew the inside of her cheek. Nightmares of cute, petite little girls with dark hair and generous curves started dancing around behind her eyes, making her growl softly. Men always went for cute little girls with no muscle and who giggled at everything they said, soft little airheads who were happy to be protected by anyone with enough testosterone. Quistis had to admit that someone that delicate and silly probably would appeal to Seifer, who in the past had loudly fancied himself to be the pinnacle of the Garden's manhood. He was such a dork.

 

“ _But is he MY dork? ...Wait, 'my' dork? Ugh, what is happening to me?”_

 

As Quistis walked out to the front gate lost in rumination, she nearly ran into Squall. To his credit, he didn't say anything but Quistis shook herself and shelved her personal issues.

 

“Ready to go?” She asked him. When he nodded, she pressed, “Did you junction your GF?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Let me check.”

 

He all but rolled his eyes and pulled up his sleeve, showing her the hammered metal bracer that SeeDs used to hold onto their GF's summonstones. Intelligently he'd chosen Shiva. Quistis had a similar bracer built into her gloves, discreetly accessible through slots cut in the leather.

 

“Good,” she said briskly. “Let's go.”

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: I have always thought that Squall had a wretched bad temper. Also, considering how the opening FMV ended, I could never understand exactly how Squall ended up in the infirmary because an unconscious person doesn't sleepwalk to the nurse's office, and it's pretty clear that he and Seifer were alone. We also know from canon that Seifer isn't pure evil. So that's my take.

 

Here is where things start to get a bit more interesting...

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First class and fancy free,  
> She's high society  
> She's got the best of everything

/\/\/\/\/\

 

10 February 2015  
  
This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

 

Song lyric selection: "She's So High" by Tal Bachman

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

Being the head of a Committee had its perks. Feeling reluctant to take any vehicle that would give the opportunity for mischief, Seifer checked out a motorcycle and rode down to Balamb. He had completely forgotten about Rinoa coming out to visit and wanted to kick himself. He really had meant to talk to Headmaster Cid.

 

“ _And now I've got my field test... Which means she's stuck here for at least a day. Great. Smart, Seifer.”_

 

Rinoa was waiting for him by the train station and when he walked up (Balamb did not permit vehicles on the streets unless it was on official business), she squealed and threw her hands into the air. Seifer found himself smiling before he realized how awkward this could become, and when Rinoa came flying down the steps to hug him enthusiastically, the strength of his response to her touch was stunning.

 

He had almost forgotten how much he liked her.

 

“ _In fact... Back then, it might have been...”_

 

Seifer couldn't help but breathe deeply and her hazelnut-scented shampoo brought a flood of memories racing through his veins. In the same moment he remembered the first time he'd seen her and the last time they'd said goodbye, the way she felt in his arms when they kissed and how she would cajole him into trying new things. She was so exciting. This was a girl who knew how to love with everything she had.

 

“ _Would I even like Quistis if Rinoa was around?”_

 

“It's so great to see you!” She exclaimed, bouncing back. “Scarred face and all. What happened to you?”

 

“Training accident,” he said, self-consciously touching the mark. Seifer still didn't know how to feel about it. It definitely messed with his looks, but it did make him look tougher and that was never a bad thing. “If you'd come yesterday, I wouldn't have had it.”

 

“Hmm...” Rinoa laced her hands behind her back and peered at him, swinging her weight from side to side. “Well, you lived. That's the important part. So tell me about you! Who's your lady friend?”

 

Wow, she was gonna just jump right into that, was she? In a way it was a relief. Nevertheless Seifer laughed awkwardly as he tried to figure out how to tell his ex-girlfriend about the woman who had never called herself his girlfriend. Rinoa's eyes lit up at his discomfort, mostly with interest but also a little hesitant hope. Damn it.

 

“Uh...” Seifer rubbed the back of his neck. “Are you hungry? Let's get something to eat.”

 

“You're not getting out of it that easily,” she told him, looping her arm through his. “But yes, I am hungry. What's good around here?”

 

They got sandwiches and ate on the dock, Seifer checking on the time. He had about three hours before the briefing, which meant two hours before he needed to head back and get ready. Technically SeeD cadets could wear either their uniforms or their individual battle dress, and typically Seifer wore his usual clothing because it was more comfortable. On the other hand, any little bit would help and he decided that wearing the cadet uniform might give the impression of serious business. So he would need to change in addition to checking his weaponry.

 

“So what's the field test like?” Rinoa asked, throwing crumbs to hungry seagulls. He'd told her on the phone about the change in plans and though she'd initially been miffed, that energy had now translated into curiosity. If Quistis was a cat, inscrutable and proud, Rinoa was like a dog; nothing got her down for long and she'd knock all sorts of things over in her excitement. It was cute. Against his better judgment Seifer found himself becoming charmed.

 

“Depends,” said Seifer. “It's different every time. The first time I took mine, it was a monster clearing mission for some eggheads in Centra.”

 

“Have you taken a lot of these tests?”

 

“ _In other words, have you failed many of them?”_ Seifer thought sourly. Aloud he said, “You learn something different from each one. Today feels like my lucky day.”

 

Rinoa scooted over to him and touched his cheek. When he turned to look at her, she kissed him lingeringly on the lips. Her lips were not as soft and warm as Quistis's, but there was a welter of ready expressiveness in her that called to his own. Before Seifer knew it, he was twining his fingers in her unbound hair.

 

“How do you feel now?” Rinoa asked, looking at him through her eyelashes.

 

“Luckier,” he said, grinning.

 

“ _Hyne in hell, are you going to kiss Quistis with those lips?”_

 

Rinoa smiled but leaned back, tilting her head. “So... Your lady friend.”

 

Seifer groaned and sat back, guilt making him feel slightly nauseous. “Why would you kiss me and ask about her?”

 

“Because I'm foolish and also very curious,” said Rinoa frankly. “And we both know I can't stick around.”

 

Seifer sighed. He remembered a conversation like this over a year ago and it sucked a lot less now, but the bad memories still made his chest hurt.

 

“Fine,” he said, lacing his hands together and looking out over the ocean. “She's brilliant. Proud. Really, really smart. And a basket full of surprises.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yeah...” Seifer toyed with how much to tell Rinoa, but then decided that since she wasn't ever going to meet Quistis, he might as well give out a few more details. “If you look at her, you think she's this uptight, straitlaced professional, but she draws porn on the side.”

 

Rinoa gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. Whenever Quistis did that, she clapped both hands over her mouth like she was holding something back, but when Rinoa did it, her splayed fingers went to her cheeks like she was so overwhelmed that she couldn't keep herself together.

 

“What sort of porn?” Rinoa asked, making Seifer laugh. “Does she try it on you? Oooh! Are you a reference?”

 

“I... Uh... Don't think so?” Now he was worried. Quistis had drawn the first Bad Teacher episode with him in mind and obviously the collaboration episode was based off the Training Center debacle, but since then he hadn't seen anything that suggested she was using him for research.

 

“ _On the other hand, if she is going to research, she's going to research very thoroughly. That could be a lot of fun.”_

 

Rinoa laughed aloud, so hard and so delighted, that she fell onto her back on the dock kicking her legs and holding her sides. As Seifer grinned at her, she swung back up and looked at him with a huge smile.

 

“I'll be honest,” she said. “I... Haven't been with anyone _good_ since you.”

 

“ _Oh shit,”_ thought Seifer as his blood charged at the thought. 

 

“Really?” He asked aloud.

 

“Well, think of who I hang out with,” she reminded him. “Zone? Watts? Not exactly...”

 

“Yeah...” said Seifer, thinking of the overprotective nerd and excitable dingbat that he'd been introduced to. “And nobody in high society?”

 

“They have the looks, but nothing of substance,” said Rinoa. “And I kind of hate them. We're all rich off the spoils of empire but I'm the only one who looks down and hates that we're walking on people. They _enjoy_ it.” As Seifer nodded in understanding, Rinoa hugged her knees to her chest and stared out at the sea. “Hey...”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“If you pass your SeeD test... Maybe you can come with me. You know?”

 

“That...is a possibility.”

 

Rinoa glanced at him sidelong and Seifer could see hurt, resignation, and a bit of annoyance flash across her eyes in quick succession. She had never been good about hiding her feelings.

 

“You must really like her,” said Rinoa, resting her head on her knees.

 

“I do,” he admitted. “She's really exciting once you get past the icy exterior.”

 

“It doesn't tire you out, having to deal with that?”

 

“Sometimes,” he admitted, thinking of all the times Quistis had flinched or hidden away from her feelings. “But I think she's just gone through a hard time. She hasn't been with anyone before me, and I mean all of it. No dating, no kissing, nothing.”

 

“Well, then I'm glad you're her first boyfriend,” said Rinoa, making him blink at her. “Really! If she talks to me, I'll give you rave reviews. Five stars, would date again.”

 

Seifer laughed, shaking his head. “I don't think you need to do that. But thanks.”

 

It was so easy and comfortable with Rinoa. And it had always been that way, from the very first time they'd traded snide remarks over some of the paying students at G-Garden who were too prissy to run a mile and get sweaty. Seifer looked at the dark-haired girl and smiled a bit sadly. In another world, there was no question they'd still be together.

 

“I'd date you again too,” he said quietly.

 

“Yeah, well...” She pursed her lips. “We'll see what happens. Maybe you will come to Timber with me.”

 

“Maybe.”

 

The time wasn't getting late, but things were getting too heavy for him. Fortunately Rinoa understood when he told her that he had to go; she was staying at the hotel and would be there when he came back, so it wasn't like she would be temporarily homeless. Regardless of how things panned out romantically, he did plan to get her into the SeeD Graduation Ball (which usually occurred about two days after the field test) so she could meet Cid, which she was thankful for. Seifer wasn't sure how she planned to get multiple SeeDs for a long-term assignment at a discount rate, but if anyone could figure out that deal it would be Rinoa. She didn't have a mere silver tongue, it was practically platinum.

 

 _"I'm sure I'll see her in action at the Ball... Which I'm going to, come hell or high water, because_ this year _I'm gonna fucking pass. I can't afford not to. Even without Quistis being on the line..."_

 

It would be his fifth failure if he didn't make it. The thought of the renewed whispers in the halls, the scorn, the outright sass people gave him for trying and failing... It made Seifer grind his teeth and hit the throttle. 

 

 _"I'm gonna pass that fucking field exam for no one but_ me."

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: As much as I'm a Seiftis fangirl, Seifer/Rinoa always holds a soft place in my heart. In the initial game canon, it seems like Rinoa is the only one who has any real hope of Seifer's goodness, which is a nice contrast to everyone going OMFG THAT JACKASS. This chapter flowed really easily; I like the way I think they would have interacted.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	14. Chapter 14

/\/\/\/\/\

 

11 February 2015  
  
This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

 

Song lyric selection: "Johnny" by Melanie Fiona

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

Seifer rode back, showered, and changed. Mindful of being prepared, he loaded up the pockets of his cadet uniform with bandages, painkillers, and other useful things that he'd desperately missed during his previous field tests. The one personal touch he kept were his gloves, which were for practicality as much as fashion; everyone could use more traction in battle. Checking the time, he headed toward the briefing area with twenty minutes to spare, the earliest he had ever gone out. He met Fujin and Raijin halfway down the hall.

 

“Hey!” said Raijin in surprise, looking him up and down. “You're early. And...”

 

“CONFORMIST,” said Fujin, also giving him a once-over.

 

“Shut up,” he said, not breaking his stride. They fell in beside him. “I want to pass this thing.”

 

“You always want to pass the thing,” said Raijin.

 

“Yeah, well, doing it _all_ my way obviously doesn't work. Might as well tweak a thing here and there.”

 

“ _Any little bit might help...”_

 

Seifer had never asked for feedback after any of his SeeD tests but it occurred to him that talking to Quistis about how she passed might boost his chances. He wondered if he would have the opportunity.

 

She was standing at the briefing area, speaking to various teams. Seifer debated how much face he was willing to lose, but as he approached the briefing area and saw more than one person already looking at his uniform in shock, he decided things couldn't get much worse. Fujin and Raijin peeled off as he approached Quistis.

 

“Instructor Trepe, can I borrow you for a second?”

 

Quistis glanced at him and almost did a double take, even though she had seen him in his uniform before. It made Seifer wonder if he had a hole somewhere and he glanced down at himself but didn't see anything that seemed off. And surely Fujin and Raijin would have told him, right?

 

“Uh, yes,” she said. “But briefly.”

 

“This won't take long,” he said. They walked a short distance off and Seifer stuck his hands in his pockets, trying to ignore the looks that people were giving them. A guilty conscience made him wonder if he looked too friendly or respectful when talking to his teacher. “So... Is there anything you can tell me about the SeeD test?”

 

“You'll get all that information in the briefing.”

 

“No, I mean...” Seifer tried to figure out his thoughts. “I'm not asking how to cheat. Just... Things. Little things that get marked off. What are they?”

 

Quistis's brows rose. “What?”

 

“Come on, don't make me beg. I'm already in this stupid uniform, what else do I have to do to pass?”

 

He was really serious about this. Quistis could not recall a single instance in which Seifer Almasy had ever asked for help for _anything._ At once she wracked her brains.

 

“Ah, well... Make sure you work with your teammates,” she told him. “Understand their strengths and weaknesses. Don't abuse your authority by telling them to do something that they won't.” As Seifer nodded impatiently, she realized something else. “And your field test isn't just about you. Don't think about standing out, think about doing your job well. Especially when it's boring.”

 

Seifer felt like growling. He knew all this shit already. Nevertheless he tried to absorb it, knowing that Quistis was doing her best. If he didn't pass this time, it wasn't because he had ignored the youngest SeeD to ever graduate.

 

“That's it,” she told him. There really wasn't much else. Quistis had followed those selfsame rules and passed, no problem. She was actually somewhat puzzled as to why so many people failed, particularly since _her_ field test had been an assassination where everything had gone horribly wrong. In the end, she'd had to kill the target herself. Immediately after that, she had changed her weapon concentration from _jian_ to rope dart, because the amount of blood that had come out from her perfectly executed thrust still haunted her nightmares. She never wanted to be that close to someone else's death again. Ugh.

 

“Okay,” said Seifer. “Thanks.”

 

“You're welcome.” Quistis hesitated. She wanted to give him a hug or a pat on the shoulder, some real encouragement, but was aware of everyone staring at them. And worse, starting to gossip. Were they standing too close or something? She straightened her glasses and smiled politely. “Good luck, Seifer.”

 

“Aww, Instructor, don't wish me luck.” He jerked his head at the people who were not so subtly staring at them, saying loudly, “Save it for people who need it.”

 

“Okay,” said Quistis, nettled at his flippancy. “Good luck, Seifer.”

 

As an “OOOOOOH” came out of the watchers, Seifer frowned at her annoyed look. Was she mad at him for some reason? Why? There was no good way to ask, so instead he mumbled something that might sound like a swear under his breath.

 

When he went back to the briefing area, Squall and Zell were already looking at him with their own particular stink-faces. Even as Seifer felt his hackles rise, he forced himself to take a deep breath. He wasn't going to smile at them, but he wasn't going to snap. Folding his arms, he pointedly ignored them.

 

“Man, why do we have to work with _him?”_ Zell all but whined to Squall.

 

“The assignments are random,” said Squall.

 

“I know, but come on. This has to be someone's idea of a joke. He whupped you pretty good this morning, didn't he?”

 

Squall grunted and looked away. Seifer couldn't quite suppress his smirk but then saw Quistis looking at him and wondered what the leaderly thing to do would be.

 

“It was just practice,” said Seifer, making Zell jump a bit and look at him. “Squall and I don't believe in going easy on each other. No one's going to go easy on us in the real world.”

 

Squall nodded, his blue-gray eyes flicking to meet Seifer's in perfect understanding.

 

“Huh,” said Zell, putting his hand on his hip. It annoyed Seifer when he did that, though he wasn't sure why. “Still... You cut his face.”

 

“I cut his too,” said Squall unexpectedly, making Zell and Seifer look at him. “On purpose. Seifer hit me by accident.”

 

“...Sorry about that,” Seifer muttered, compelled by something he couldn't name. It was easier to say when it was just him and Squall. Zell didn't count, he was another dude.

 

Squall nodded stiffly. “...apology accepted. Sorry about yours.”

 

And then because it was too weird, they looked away from each other. Zell looked from Squall to Seifer and back again before sighing and shaking his head.

 

The drive to Balamb took little over forty minutes. As fate had it, Quistis ended up in the car with Xu and Seifer's team, which made for an interesting drive when she ended up sitting next to Seifer. He ignored her; she ignored him. Nevertheless she was aware of his heat and presence and also how distractingly the standard uniform pulled over his body. No wonder so many people had been staring today. Quistis had spotted several girls who had been looking at Seifer with speculative interest and it had taken a surprising amount of self control for Quistis not to yell at them to look elsewhere.

 

“Hey Squall, can I see your gunblade?” Zell asked, looking at the brunet boy. Squall folded his arms more tightly and looked away. “Pleeeeease? Pleeeeeease? Why are you being so selfish? Scrooooooge!”

 

Squall's only response was to look at something in the corner of the car. At first Zell huffed and said nothing, but then he started to get antsy. Seifer watched as his irritated energy turned to nervousness and Quistis smirked a bit as she saw Squall's annoyance reach critical mass.

 

“Hey, Squall,” said Zell, leaning around to make eye contact; Squall looked up at the ceiling, a fabulously blank look on his face. “You aren't mad, are you? C'mon man, say something. What's on your mind?”

 

“Nothing,” predicted Quistis as Squall said the exact same thing. Seifer glanced at her as she chuckled and Squall huffed. Quistis caught his look and shrugged minutely, a smile still on her lips.

 

“ _She'd better not like him,”_ thought Seifer, shifting in his seat. _“I know we never said we'd see each other only, but Hyne. Anybody but him.”_

 

Devoid of conversation, Zell got to his feet and started punching the air. Seifer eyed his flying fists and thought they were too close to Quistis's face, even though she had her head down and was reading something in a manila file.

 

“Knock it off,” he told Zell. “It's annoying.”

 

“What'd you say?” Zell demanded immediately, flaring. Quistis glanced at Seifer out of the corner of her eyes, making him grind his teeth a little. If she had to check him this often, no wonder he'd failed before. Fucking annoying rules and social mores.

 

“I said knock it off, because if we hit a bump in the road, you'll punch the Instructor in the head,” Seifer told Zell reasonably. “Sit down.”

 

Zell huffed and threw himself back into his seat. His foot started jiggling immediately. Seifer wondered if Zell would explode if forcibly restrained and imagined the chicken-headed boy's head popping off while the rest of him was in a straitjacket. It was a way funnier mental image than it should have been. At his side, Quistis went back to reading.

 

“Instructor?”

 

“Yes?” She lifted her head to look at Squall.

 

“Who was that girl in the infirmary this morning?”

 

Quistis cocked her head. “Was there someone there? I didn't notice anyone. Is there a problem, Squall?”

 

“No, nothing like that...”

 

“So you like girls after all,” said Seifer, chuckling.

 

Squall narrowed his eyes at Seifer. Then to Seifer's surprise, Squall cocked his brow and asked, “Jealous?”

 

“I think I'd break you in half,” said Seifer without missing a beat. Where was this coming from?

 

“Who says you'd be doing the breaking?” Squall asked challengingly.

 

“ _I should hit him in the head more often,”_ thought Seifer. _“He's turning into an interesting person.”_

 

“Who indeed,” said Seifer, deciding to change tactics. “You _were_ trying to feel me up in the elevator a while back.”

 

That threw Squall enough to make him scowl and look away, but then Zell made a noise that was half discomfort and half disgust. “I can't tell if you guys hate each other or like each other,” he said when they looked at him.

 

“Can't it be both?” Seifer asked.

 

“Whatever,” muttered Squall, his demeanor becoming sullen once more. Quistis just sighed.

 

As they loaded onto the gunboat, Seifer caught a flash of blue and glanced toward the hotel. A familiar dark-haired figure was waving at him from the balcony and not sure if he should groan or smile, Seifer waved back. Of course Quistis would be looking at him and she followed his gaze to where Rinoa stood. Rinoa was too far to see clearly, but fairly obviously female.

 

“Friend of yours?” Quistis asked evenly. The unseemly jealousy was coming back and she punched it down as hard as she could; this was not the time to be swallowed up with personal issues.

 

“Yeah,” said Seifer, looking back at her. She felt mad. She didn't _look_ mad but there was a thickness in the air around her that felt like it would burst into flames if he got too close. Seifer resisted the urge to duck and run, especially because his lips seemed to burn with the memory of Rinoa's kiss on the dock. “And possibly business. She wants to hire some SeeDs.”

 

“Her?” Quistis was surprised. “She doesn't look very old.”

 

“She's not. But she's got some special circumstances.”

 

Well, if it was business... Quistis exhaled forcefully and got onto the gunboat, Seifer a step behind. She did not want to be mad. There was nothing to be mad about.

 

Except...

 

“ _She wants to hire some SeeDs. What if she wants to hire Seifer? I'm just getting used to having him around...”_

 

Quistis realized that if Seifer failed, he would stay in Balamb. In the next second she hated herself for even thinking about the possibility. Seifer had studied hard and he wanted to pass so much. She would encourage him and help him, and if it turned out that things didn't work out, as so they often did... If he left her or if he died today...

 

“ _At least I know I'm worth loving, even if it's just for a little while.”_

 

“Hey.” Seifer's breath brushed over her ear, making her jump. “Just in case...you know.”

 

She felt something hard poke her in the back. Without looking she reached for the offending object and found her fingers closing around something slim and plasticky. She slid into her jacket pocket without looking, wondering what Seifer had given her. The gunboat was small enough that there was no way to look at it privately.

 

“You know what?” She murmured back.

 

“You know...” They couldn't stand in the doorway forever, so reluctantly Quistis walked inside and Seifer followed, sidestepping so he faced her in the narrow entrance. Behind them the door swung shut and sealed with a hiss. “In case I die.”

 

“Oh, Seifer...”

 

“It happens,” he said, his voice somber. “My first test... My squad leader got his head bit off. And my second test, I saw a girl bleed out before the medics could get to her. It sucked. And they had families. I don't, so...”

 

Quistis reflexively glanced into the gunboat. Squall and Zell were already inside, pretending not to listen. Xu was also in their gunboat and was checking through mission files near the monitor, but Quistis knew she was listening in too.

 

“Look...” said Seifer, noticing where she was glancing. “Instructor. Just... Give that to my girl, will you?” He held her gaze as he said, “You know the one.”

 

It was like every cell in her body suddenly came alive, though with what she couldn't say. Desire was there, but also sudden fear so deep and strong that it stole her breath. Seifer was right. People did die on the test. The possibility that he might not make it back had never really occurred to her until now; he was just a fixture in her life, like paperwork or ice cream. Even without the whatever they had, he was just _there._

 

But that didn't mean it would always be true.

 

Wordlessly Quistis nodded and Seifer stepped by, taking his seat in the gunboat. Quistis saw everyone's eyes follow him as he passed them by and she realized with an uncomfortable gulp that they would be sitting next to each other again. She went to her chair as Xu switched on the monitor and turned.

 

“Be seated,” said Xu as the gunboat lurched. Anyone else would have gone flying but Quistis saw Xu's knees flex just enough to keep her standing as the vehicle started to pick up speed. “I'll explain the current situation and the mission. Our client for this mission is the Dollet Dukedom Parliament. A request for SeeD was made 18 hours ago. Dollet has been under attack by the G-Army since about 72 hours ago. 49 hours into the battle, Dollet abandoned their position in the inner city. Currently, they have retreated into the nearby mountains and are reorganizing their troops. That's the current status; now onto the mission objective.

 

“According to our reports, the G-Army is mopping up the Dollet troops in the mountain region. We're to make a landing at Lapin Beach and to eliminate the remaining G-Army within the city to liberate it A.S.A.P. Afterwards, SeeD members will intercept any G-Army forces trying to make their way into the city from the mountain region."

 

“So what are _we_ supposed to do?” Seifer asked, studying the diagrams on the monitor. 

 

"SeeD candidates are to eliminate the G-Army inside the city," said Xu.

 

“Sounds awesome!” said Zell, his face shining with manic excitement. Quistis wondered if he'd said his goodbyes too, just in case.

 

“Sounds boring,” Seifer said, making Xu frown at him. “Bitch work.”

 

Xu gave him a very particular sort of smile that made Quistis sigh. “Well,” said Xu sweetly. “Think of it as _practice,_ Seifer. How many times have you taken these tests now?”

 

Seifer gave her an expression that was more like a baring of teeth than a real smile. “Oh, I just  _love_ these exams.”

 

“Mm. And you will, for a long, long time.” As Seifer growled softly, Xu clapped her hands and said, “Okay, that's it. Any questions, ask Quistis. ETA is a hundred and twenty minutes and we anticipate battle as soon as we land. And...”

 

Xu looked directly at Seifer, making the air charge again as he returned her semi-glare with one of his own.

 

“It hardly needs to be said, but the order to withdraw takes priority,” she said, her eyes boring into his. “Is that clear?”

 

“Crystal,” Seifer replied, trying not to snarl back. Xu's eyes narrowed suspiciously but she chose to leave it there. Quistis sighed softly.

 

Xu left to go talk to the gunboat pilots in the front, leaving Quistis alone with the boys. Zell was immensely excited, shadowboxing and practically vibrating with energy. Squall stared at the floor, an intense look of focus in his eyes. Quistis glanced around to make sure no one was looking at her before she put her hand discreetly into her jacket and felt for the object Seifer had given her. It felt like a CD.

 

“Hey,” he said, making her jump. When Quistis looked, he was looking at her with a soft but serious look in his eye. “That's personal.”

 

“What is it?” She asked him.

 

“It's a... Well, y-she'll find out.”

 

“I see.” Quistis bit the inside of her cheek. “So... Your 'girl'.” She saw him tense up. “Are you...formally dating? Exclusively?”

 

“She hasn't said so,” said Seifer evenly, his sea-green gaze never leaving hers. “But if she did, I'd hop on it.”

 

A little shiver went over her skin. “But only if she said so?” Quistis pressed.

 

“Well yeah,” said Seifer, looking away. This was not how he'd planned on having this talk. “I mean... I like her. I really like her. But she plays it close to the chest and if we're not on the same page, I'll just end up lonely.”

 

“ _Ugh, did I really say that?”_ thought Seifer with an inner grimace. _“Lonely? The hell?”_

 

Quistis's heart seemed to lurch in her chest but she couldn't drop the act now. “You don't seem to be very lonely. You have Fujin, Raijin...”

 

“It's not the same,” he said, shaking his head. “Don't get me wrong, I love 'em, but... Fuj and Raij are like air, they're just around all the time and I can't imagine life without 'em. But... Her.”

 

“ _You.”_

 

Seifer stared down at the ground. Somehow it was easier to tell Quistis what he thought of her if he pretended Instructor Trepe was a completely different person. Even so, it was hard to get the words out. He fully intended to live through his SeeD test, but so had his late teammates in all the years before. There was nothing wrong with being prepared.

 

“I can't stop thinking about her,” he said slowly, something like light breaking through his mind. And it was true. He wasn't thinking about marriage or kids or anything like that, hell no, but for the past two weeks all he had been thinking about was passing the SeeD test so they could be together honestly. That was the only future he wanted right now. Well, maybe not the _only_ future, but definitely a big part of it. Seifer Almasy wanted Quistis Trepe, end of story. 

 

“...oh...” said Quistis faintly. She couldn't seem to breathe. “That seems...serious.”

 

“Yeah, well, I don't do things in halves,” said Seifer with a little shrug. “There's no point, you know?”

 

“I suppose...” Quistis had to look away. She hoped her face wasn't on fire.

 

“How'd you two meet?” Zell asked unexpectedly, making Seifer and Quistis jump. For a moment they had forgotten that other people existed.

 

“...Training Center,” said Seifer, his mind ascramble. “We, uh... Connected. It's hard to explain.”

 

“What's her name?”

 

“That's none of your business,” said Seifer, folding his arms tightly across his chest.

 

“What? I ain't gonna steal her.”

 

“Still none of your business.”

 

“Well fine, what's she look like?”

 

“Hot as hell,” said Seifer, which made Quistis snort a bit. “Beautiful. But not cute.”

 

“Why not cute?”

 

“She just hates that word.”

 

“She sounds short,” said Zell, which made Seifer laugh loud enough to cover Quistis's choked-off snicker. Obliviously Zell added, “Trust me, there's a time in every short person's life where they are sick and tired of 'cute'.”

 

“Yeah?” Seifer asked, grinning.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“So who called _you_ cute?”

 

“...Adriana Peterson,” mumbled Zell, turning red. “She patted my head like a dog.”

 

Seifer laughed again, making Zell grumble and look away.

 

“Yeah, yeah, yuk it up,” said Zell, glaring at him. “I can break you in half over my knee.”

 

“There sure is a lot of gay in the air today,” said Seifer, making Zell sputter. “Between you and Puberty Boy over there. Sorry boys, I'm taken.”

 

Squall rolled his eyes and got up, walking around to the side passages of the gunboat. Aside from a main seating area, there were narrow bunks for longer trips and a very small galley. Squall was probably looking for a snack. Zell huffed and got to his feet, heading for the opposite side. Seifer waited until they were both gone before leaning over quickly and pecking Quistis on the cheek.

 

“What are you doing?” She hissed, pushing him back. “There are people around!”

 

“Shhh...” He whispered, an impish grin on his face. “Be really quiet.”

 

“No,” said Quistis, immediately transferring herself to the other side of the gunboat. Pointing at Seifer like that would actually stop him, she said again, “No. No. No.”

 

“Okay, fine,” he said, flinging his arms out to rest along the backs of the seats. “It's going to be a long two hours then.”

 

“You'll live,” she said, making him smirk. “I mean it, Seifer. You're going to live. And...”

 

“...oh,” said Seifer, his expression sobering. “Yeah.”

 

“Did you make this for today?” She asked him, gesturing at where the CD lay in her coat.

 

“Well... Sort of. I meant to give it just as a present.” Seifer looked awkwardly up at the ceiling, a blush creeping up his cheeks “But then when the field test was announced, I figured now was as good a time as any.”

 

“I see.” Quistis glanced around and then pulled the CD out of her coat. There was a piece of paper closed inside, folded over with some writing. When Quistis opened it up, Seifer made a noise that seemed to be mostly panic. She glanced at him and saw that he was cringing a little.

 

“What is it?” She asked him.

 

“Don't read that in front of me.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Just don't,” he said, looking pained.

 

“It must be very embarrassing.”

 

“It's the most embarrassing thing I've ever written in my entire life,” said Seifer, getting to his feet. “I'm getting a snack.”

 

“Wha—Seifer, sit down.”

 

“Nope.” He disappeared around the side of the seats, making Quistis shake her head. She picked up the paper and nearly unfolded it, but something made her pause. Seifer was acting very strangely. What had he written in here?

 

Was she prepared to read it?

 

“ _What if he wrote 'I love you'?”_ Quistis thought with sudden fear. _“Do I feel the same way back? Do I love him?”_

 

How did a person know?

 

Quistis made herself think about how she would feel if Seifer died on the field test today. Whether he was shot, stabbed, crushed, blown up, or just tripped over a curb and broke his neck, the end result would be the same. Let's play a game and pretend Seifer is dead. What now?

 

She crushed the note in her hands without meaning to.

 

“ _Oops,”_ she thought even as her heart rate started to climb. That seemed encouraging, so she put more into that. Seifer was dead. He had died in the field test. Was it her fault? Had she failed to teach him something somehow? Had they lost time kissing and holding each other when she should have been shouting at him to pay attention, to drill him in procedure until it was muscle memory to fight and run and get away?

 

No, she realized with a soft ache in her chest. All the procedure in the world wouldn't mean a thing in the field. When you were fighting, all you could do was see and react, and she had to admit that Seifer's reactions were some of the finest in the Garden, probably the finest among the candidates now. If he died, he would die on his feet against terrible odds, literally swarmed by lesser warriors...

 

...while she sat in the gunboat and waited for a man and a future that would never exist.

 

Quistis shut her eyes. Her chest really hurt. Was this love? Or was it fear? How could anyone tell? She tried to think about what she would miss about Seifer in particular if he died and compared that to what she considered to be selfish feelings. If Seifer died, would she be sad because he was dead? Or because he was no longer around to kiss her and hold her and irritate her and make her want more? Would she be sad because  _Seifer_ was gone or because a man she had been intimate with was gone?

 

“ _I don't know,”_ she thought helplessly. She had so little dating experience. In her mind, the criteria all blended together until her ears were filled with the thundering panic of possible loss. _“Don't die, Seifer. Please don't die. I don't even care if you fail, just don't die.”_

 

“Qu?”

 

Quistis jumped. Xu sat down next to her, frowning.

 

“What's that?” She asked, gesturing at Quistis's hands.

 

“Huh? Oh...” Quistis hastily smoothed out the rumpled note and stuck it back in the CD case, snapping it shut. “Umm...”

 

“Isn't that the thing that Seifer wanted you to give his girlfriend?”

 

Quistis cringed. “...yes.”

 

“Why did you open it?”

 

Crap. “...Xu... Before your test, what did you do?”

 

“Huh?” Xu blinked. She sat back in her chair and rubbed her face, thinking hard. “Well... I called all my family members. I spent like an hour on the phone with my mom. Didn't tell any of them what was happening, I just wanted to hear them. And then afterward I told them I passed and it was great, but... Yeah. After I got off the phone with my mom, I cried for an hour. I was really scared.”

 

Quistis nodded numbly. She looked back at the CD and tried to order her thoughts into something Xu would believe.

 

“I... I didn't call anyone,” she said softly. “I didn't talk to anyone. I didn't... Have anyone. I think I'm jealous...”

 

“What?”

 

“Having someone that you care about that much... That you want them to think about you, even if you're not there... That you're worried about them even when you don't exist...”

 

Tears started to come to her eyes as her heart started to hammer again, this time surging against the sudden need to find Seifer and hold him hard. Was this supposed to be love? It sucked. She hated it.

 

“Oh, xiaomei,” Xu hugged Quistis and patted her hair as the tears started to roll down. “It's okay.”

 

“His girlfriend is going to miss him so much if he doesn't make it,” Quistis whispered, shutting her eyes hard. “And the others... Squall and Zell. I'm their teacher. I'll have to call their parents. I never thought about that until now...”

 

“Hey, listen to me,” said Xu, still stroking her hair. “They are good boys. They are smart. They are strong. You have worked so hard with them. They're going to make it back alive.”

 

“But—”

 

“Shhhh, no no no. They'll be fine, okay? Come on, Squall and Seifer basically concussed each other this morning and here they are. And I've literally seen Zell fall off the second story balcony and get up without a scratch. They'll be okay.”

 

“People will be shooting at them,” said Quistis, feeling stupid for stating the obvious.

 

“Not for long,” said Xu comfortingly. “Besides, the boys all have GF's, they all have magic, they're all junctioned, and you know none of them scare easy.” When Quistis nodded mutely, Xu kissed her on the head, saying, “They're lucky to have you as their Instructor.”

 

“I just wish I could go and make sure they'd be okay.” _“That_ he'll _be okay.”_

 

“That is not what they have worked for,” Xu reminded her gently. “That is not what they want. Did you want that on your field test?”

 

“No.”

 

“Right. You were scared shitless, but you had a job to do. Right?”

 

“Right.”

 

“So that's what they're going to do. They're going to do their job.”

 

Quistis sniffed and wiped her eyes. As she slid the CD back into her case, Xu handed her a tissue and Quistis blew her nose.

 

“I feel stupid,” Quistis admitted. “I'm fairly sure the other Instructors don't worry about their students like this.”

 

“Because they've told themselves not to,” said Xu, making Quistis look at her in surprise. “They see the kids as a paycheck. And don't forget, about half of our faculty aren't SeeD themselves, so they have no idea what the candidates are facing. You do. That makes you care more by default.”

 

Quistis nodded. Standing up, she said, “I'm going to get some air.”

 

“Okay.” Xu stretched. “I'm getting a snack and maybe a short nap. We're going to be plenty busy when we land.”

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: This chapter got rewritten a lot, because the need for fluff was initially quite high. There was also initially wild furtive sex, but it didn't seem right for this part of the story so I took it out.

 

Incidentally I have decided Xu's last name is Xiong because I like the way it sounds.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	15. Chapter 15

/\/\/\/\/\

12 February 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

“Showtime, boys,” Xu called into the back as the gunboat began to pick up speed. Her eyes fixed on the monitor, she tsked and said, “Brace yourselves. We're breaching the sea wall.”

 

“The what?” Zell asked, looking around. Seifer shoved him into a seat and sat down himself just before the gunboat shuddered, rattling everyone to their bones. Zell yelped and nearly fell over into Seifer's lap, but caught himself and hauled himself upright. Seifer ignored him and instead looked at Squall, who was silent as the grave and looking more than a little pale.

 

“Hey,” he said, making the younger boy look up. “All you gotta do is follow my orders. I'm the squad leader. Don't forget it.”

 

Emotion thawed the boy's wide gray-blue eyes. Unfortunately that emotion was annoyance. “Whatever.”

 

“Don't screw us up,” Zell muttered, making Seifer thwap him upside the head. Quistis opened her mouth warningly but at once the gunboat seemed to groan and slow down. There was a mechanical hiss that made Seifer stand up immediately, Zell and Squall not far behind. Quistis stood up as Xu came to the main compartment.

 

“Remember the mission objective,” said Xu to Seifer as the back of the gunboat hissed. The main area doors were not yet open. “Secure the town square. Remember to retreat. That's it.”

 

“I got it,” said Seifer in annoyance. He looked at Quistis, his chest a welter of emotions. If things went really, really bad, this was it. He decided not to give any fucks and in full view, grabbed Quistis and swung her down into a passionate movie-style kiss. Zell squawked but Seifer was only aware of Quistis's presence, her sweet smell of nectarines and something more exotic, and how her surprised little squeak tickled his throat. He wanted to run his fingers through her unbound hair just once. He wanted to say what the note said, just in case.

 

But there was a mission to complete.

 

Knowing he had very little time, he dared to taste her just one last time before swinging her back onto her feet. She stared at him like she'd never seen him before, which was the effect had been going for. To distract everyone from her stunned, flushed face, Seifer reached for Xu.

 

“Come here,” he said, grinning wolfishly.

 

“I'll rip your face off,” she said warningly, backing up.

 

Seifer threw back his head and laughed, adrenaline heightening his every reaction. “Let's go!” He shouted to Squall and Zell, who had identical expressions of shock on their faces. As the back of the gunboat opened, Seifer ran out, his soul singing for combat. He was going to live. He was going to pass. And then he was going to kiss Quistis in front of everybody and _not_ rush it.

 

Back at the gunboat, Quistis touched her lips in disbelief. Xu made a distressed noise.

 

“Ew,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Did he get his tongue in there?”

 

“Uh-huh,” said Quistis, staring after Seifer as his figure disappeared into the distance. A shell went off nearby and he dodged nimbly, barely sparing it a glance. And then he was gone.

 

“Ew,” said Xu again, this time with more feeling.

 

“Oh, it wasn't that bad,” said Quistis, still distracted. Xu looked at her closely.

 

“Holy crap, that was your first kiss, wasn't it?” Xu demanded.

 

“Huh?”

 

“It _was!_ And that jerk stole it! I hate him even more now.” Xu folded her arms and huffed, but only for a second. “Incoming. Want it?”

 

“I'll take it,” said Quistis, her focus snapping back as soon as she registered the hostiles running for the gunboat. The chain gun up top would be a bonus for any forces that could capture it and Quistis could see the red glint off the triple-lensed Galbadian helmets as they approached. She wasn't sure why they weren't up in the mountains along with everybody else, but they were about to regret their decision. Quistis picked up her whip from its hook near the door and sprang forward with her blood turning to something like mercury in her veins.

 

One hard swing and two flicks decapitated two of the incoming soldiers and knocked a third to the sand, his unprotected side fatally torn open. Clumsily one of the surviving soldiers attempted to close with Quistis, but she whirled her whip around her in a shimmering globe of pure defense, yanking his gunblade from his grasp and flaying his arms to the bone at the same time. As he backed up with a shriek, Quistis flicked her whip and plunged the tip of it through his throat. When she pulled the whip free, blood sprayed out in a hideous fountain. He died in seconds.

 

“Neat,” said Xu from inside the boat, a sursurrous whisper of metal on metal letting Quistis know that Xu had drawn her saber. Xu was an expert with anything that had an edge. “Me next.”

 

Quistis exhaled, feeling her skin seemingly harden into armor. There was nothing to do now but wait and survive. Surprisingly her passion for Seifer was only increased by her clinical assessment of his abilities; she fought alongside him to get Quetzlcoatl. Seifer would be fine. He would survive.

 

“ _Come back soon and become a SeeD,”_ she thought, scanning the beach for more hostiles. _“So I can kiss you back.”_

 

/\/\/\

 

Seifer tore through the enemy in a bloody whirlwind, his veins ablaze with adrenaline and a special sort of wild joy that very few people, even other SeeD candidates, understood. Squall and Zell were just barely managing to keep up, which pissed him off when he remembered they were his squadmates.

 

It was somewhere around the fourth dead soldier that he remembered they were _his_ squadmates and he should probably be more of a squad leader. He was never sure how SeeD candidates were actually graded, but if anyone was watching, what would they be thinking? He thought about the specific advice Quistis had given him in the elevator about teamwork and cringed a bit, realizing how things probably looked.

 

“ _There goes that dumbass Seifer, running ahead and leaving his squadmates behind. Power goes to his head. He doesn't work well with others. Not SeeD material.”_

 

Seifer deliberately dialed back the violence and hung closer to Squall and Zell. He noticed that they were fighting as a team already; Zell set them up and Squall finished them off. Zell also had Squall's back when the brunet boy was in mid-swing and couldn't respond to threats behind him. It reminded Seifer a lot of how he and Fujin and Raijin worked together in the field and begrudgingly Seifer realized that this was probably what he had been missing in his previous field tests. He knew how to work with Fujin and Raijin because they'd been friends for so long, but as he fitted himself alongside Squall and Zell, Seifer started to wonder if they just hung back and let him do what he wanted.

 

If they weren't actually fighting as a team.

 

The realization was unexpectedly disturbing and Seifer tried to ignore it by paying more attention to what Squall and Zell did. It came to him pretty quickly that Squall was way better at magic than Zell was, while Zell was definitely strong enough to kill people in one hit with the right opportunity. When they got a break, Seifer looked at them.

 

“Squall, hang back,” he said to the brunet boy. “Draw and cast as needed. You're the healer. Zell, what do you have junctioned?”

 

“Uhh... Ifrit,” said Zell, blinking in surprise.

 

“Boost your strength stat and stay in the front with me,” said Seifer. “Take everything on the right.”

 

“Okay,” said Zell, now looking at him warily.

 

“What?” Seifer demanded.

 

“Nothing. You're just...being leader-y. It's weird.”

 

Seifer heard Squall snort softly behind them.

 

They cut, punched, and blasted their way to the town square, which Seifer glanced around and immediately did not like the look of. It was empty, which meant no fights and also no cover; at once he started looking for areas they could take advantage of. After clearing out a few soldiers in the square, Seifer looked at Squall.

 

“How are you on magic?”

 

“25 Blizzard, 10 Thunder, 5 Fire, 6 Scan, and 10 Cure,” said Squall without a single hesitation, making Seifer's brows raise. He'd been expecting something along the lines of 'good, not good, or empty'.

 

“Okay,” said Seifer as Zell boggled at Squall. “Squall, climb up the statue and blast anything that comes from the eastern part of the square.” As Squall nodded and went to comply, Seifer looked at Zell. “So I heard you fell off the second floor balcony.”

 

“Hey that was an accident—”

 

“Is it true you landed without hurting yourself?”

 

“Huh? Oh. Yeah,” said Zell, putting his hand on his hip. “My bones are pretty thick. I don't think I've broken anything since I was ten.”

 

“Then get up on that low roof over there,” said Seifer, pointing at one of the entrances into the city. “And jump whatever comes from the west. Squall and I will assist when we hear you.”

 

“Cool,” said Zell with a little grin.

 

Seifer had a bit of magic himself, so he took the time to lay thick sheets of black ice over the entrances to the town center before retreating to hide behind a statue. He wasn't honestly expecting trouble, but he needed something to do. A steady refrain of _bitch work_ kept going through his head, but Seifer fought it back when he looked around and saw Zell's chicken head just barely visible at the corner of a low roof or when he looked up and saw Squall hiding in the shadows of the elaborate town statue. A weird swell of something like entitlement and pride puffed in his chest, pushing away the resentment and desire for glory.

 

But what really worked was thinking about Quistis. Quistis's stunned look when he kissed her on the boat, her angry eyes when she knew he wasn't being the best he could be, the tremble in her voice when she said _it's over_ and didn't want it to be. Seifer restlessly tightened his grip around Hyperion, telling himself that he needed to calm down and be a good, boring boy. Staying still had always been a problem for him, but he was eighteen now and he could do it. He would do it.

 

A low whistle made Seifer look up just in time to see Squall cast a spell, and off at the eastern entrance to the town center there was a yell as lightning blasted the enemy. Seifer barreled out from a half-ruined flowershop like a tornado and ruthlessly cut down three of the seven running soldiers before they knew he was there. As he swung at a fourth, unexpected weight dragged him to his knees and Seifer cursed as a solid chunk of ice formed around his hand and a good two-thirds of Hyperion. It was magical ice and would only last for as long as the caster did, but when Seifer looked up to locate who had thrown the magic on him, a Galbadian soldier was in his face, drawing his gunblade back for a deadly thrust.

 

“ _Not today,”_ thought Seifer, throwing a Fire straight into the soldier's face. The soldier staggered back, screaming, but another was instantly in his place. The ice was swelling still, growing from magic, so Seifer wrenched his arm up over his stomach and intercepted the enemy gunblade, grinning as the tip of the Galbadian's sword froze into the ice. He rolled and threw the soldier off-balance, breaking his grip on his own weapon. As the Galbadian staggered, Seifer swung up onto his feet and clubbed the man in the head with the awkward mass around his fist, completely knocking him out. 

 

A hideous pain across the top of his leg made Seifer stagger and instinctively he sprang back, blood soaking down the front of his right leg. He'd counted wrong; there had been eight soldiers. Seifer swallowed as the remaining four rushed him, but he wasn't about to start screaming for help.

 

“BOOYAH!”

 

The Galbadians whipped around, searching for the noise, but Zell's wild shout had bounced off a building and as a result, they were looking in completely the wrong direction when he charged off the low roof, jumped, and landed on one of the soldiers. There was a crunching noise that had nothing to do with mere impact. Zell flipped adroitly onto his feet, transferring his weight faster than Seifer had ever thought possible to kick twice and send two soldiers flying. The last soldier, a commander in red, raised his arms and then yelled as lightning exploded in his face. Seifer glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Squall landing clumsily in the town square and stumbling into a run, already casting another spell. This time ice bloomed around the Galbadian's chest and the soldier yelled as his armor suddenly became heavier, making him stumble. Squall charged the Galbadian and neatly stabbed him up underneath his chestblade. Seifer heard a little click. And then the soldier's head exploded as the Revolver's large caliber bullet burst out through the top of his skull.

 

“Ugh, gross!” Zell danced away as blood and brain matter rained down. Squall kicked the dead soldier off his sword and flicked the blood free before looking at Seifer. With the commander's death, the ice around his hand had vanished and Seifer straightened, unencumbered.

 

“Nice,” he told the boys. He meant it. “I thought you two would be scared shitless, but you're doing alright.”

 

Seifer let Squall cast Cure on him before they all went back to their positions. Seifer was feeling pretty good about things now, though this time he put himself in some cover that let him keep an eye on Squall and Zell at the same time. However, excitement rapidly drained away to impatient boredom as the minutes ticked by and the clock called the hour and nothing happened.

 

It was starting to darken to twilight when from his vantage point on another roof (might as well get the drop from above, no one ever expected it), Seifer saw another set of soldiers running down from the east. He nearly hand-signaled for Squall to attack, but remembering the near-disaster of their last encounter, Seifer made sure to count every soldier. The numbers were not good; twelve regular grunts, two commanders, and what looked like four specialists in green carrying something that was covered in canvas. All of them bristling with weapons. Unlike the yahoos from earlier, these soldiers moved in a pattern and checked their surroundings, making it obvious that it would be very hard to ambush them. Seifer caught Squall and Zell's eyes by reflecting light off Hyperion and hand-signaled that they were to stay put for now.

 

As they crossed through the town square, one of the specialists stumbled and dropped his canvas-covered bag, spilling something metallic that instantly made one of the commanders whirl around and yell.

 

“Hey! Idiot! Watch yourself! We don't have spare antennas just lying around, you know!”

 

“ _Antennas?”_ Seifer mouthed, frowning as he saw the specialist gather his things. The soldiers had stopped to let him get his stuff and it occurred to Seifer now that they were all in a cluster. There were too many to take out through conventional means, but unconventional means? Well.

 

He got to his feet and started to call Quetzlcoatl, praying that Squall and Zell would catch on to what he was doing. Seifer nearly cursed as the Galbadians started to move out again, but Squall at least was quick on the uptake. Throwing strategic fireballs and then huge chunks of ice, he had the Galbadians flinching back and tightening into a ball. When the commanders tried to call a retreat, Zell ran around the edges of the formation like a wolf on the hunt, punching people in their kidneys and throwing them when they tried to run. Summoning the lightning GF seemed to take way too long, but at last Seifer felt the crackling buzz of power threatening to explode from his hands and eyeballs and with all his strength he focused on the Galbadians, one clear order in his head.

 

“ _Get them.”_

 

There was a shock as Quetzlcoatl abruptly borrowed his body, popping Seifer into a state of half-death as otherworldly lightning channeled through the lightning GF's mind, through Seifer's flesh, and blasted the Galbadians. Eight of the sixteen soldiers died instantly but the rest of them were just on the edges enough that they staggered.

 

“The mountain!” One of the surviving commanders shouted to the specialists, who had all made it. “Go! Go! Go!”

 

Seifer snapped back to the real world with a gasp and nearly dropped to his knees, his body still crackling with electricity. Summoning was rough. Nevertheless he pushed through the pain to jump off the low roof and land in the courtyard behind a surviving soldier, who never saw the blade that cut him in two. Moving helped dissipate the unnatural lightning.

 

They cleaned up the stragglers handily enough, but Seifer's mind was on the specialists who had run off toward the mountain. Clearly that was on Zell's mind too at least, because when they took a breath at the end of the battle, Zell flicked the blood off his hands and said, “So... Antennas? What was that all about?”

 

Squall just shrugged. Seifer looked up and around and saw something flashing on the mountaintop. He had no idea what it was until a half-formed memory from an old movie seemed to click in his head.

 

“That tower,” he said, pointing with his gunblade. Squall and Zell turned to look. “They want that radio tower.”

 

“Why?” Zell asked, frowning. “No one uses radio. You can't.”

 

Seifer tapped his gunblade on his shoulder. He could feel the urge to hunt rising up in him, the sheer curiosity of what they would find. But he knew what he was 'supposed' to do, too. Shit. Seifer mentally reviewed the placement of where the various squads were and grimaced when he realized that they were the last between the town and the SeeDs fighting the Galbadians up in the mountains. The four specialists were weak but there was no guarantee that they would remain that way and if they got the jump on any SeeDs, it was likely that someone would blame their squad for not cleaning things up properly.

 

So really, he was just looking out for his fellow professionals. Go team.

 

“We're going after them,” he told the boys. “New objective: Squad B is to secure the summit and that communication tower.”

 

“What?” Zell jumped. “No! C'mon, Squall!” He entreated the dark-haired boy, who just folded his arms. “Tell him!”

 

“...I stand by the captain's orders,” said Squall, looking at Seifer sidelong. Seifer grinned. He was already sort of glad Squall was along, but this was working out even better than he'd hoped.

 

“Captain's orders...” Seifer repeated, liking the sound of it. He squeezed Squall's shoulder in a friendly way, noticing that Squall didn't flinch like he usually did. “I knew it. You wanna wreak some havoc too, don't ya?”

 

Squall shrugged his hand off. “It's training. Thanks to you, I feel like I can take on anyone... Especially when they fight dirty.”

 

“Heh. You're welcome.”

 

“No, come on!” Zell grabbed his head. “Are you kidding me? This isn't just a mission, this is an EXAM. A very important one! They will dock us for sure if we leave our position!”

 

“Listen, if you wanna be a boy scout and stay behind, be my guest,” said Seifer, making Zell sputter. “But Squall and I are going.”

 

“Squall...” Zell whined, looking at the dark-haired boy as Seifer started to run off.

 

“Let's go,” said Squall, falling in step behind Seifer. Zell got in one last whine before they ran.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: I started an art blog that will have pictures having to do with this fic. klepto-maniac0.tumblr.com. Enjoy!  
  


/\/\/\/\/\


	16. Chapter 16

/\/\/\/\/\

13 February 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

“Mission successful,” said Xu from the top of the gunboat, binoculars in hand. Barely visible plumes of colored smoke glimmered on the twilight horizon, making Quistis breathe a sigh of relief for her colleagues. “Time to pack it in. Send out the runners, will you Qu?”

 

Quistis nodded and went to the next gunboat over, where Squad A was waiting. They were a mixed bunch, two boys that were probably older than Quistis and a girl who was about her age. Because radio communications hadn't worked in over ten years, any large-scale battle like this needed runners.

 

“Mission successful,” she told the squad, who grinned or whooped. The girl jumped up and down with excitement, making Quistis smile a little. “Time to pull back the other squads. B is stationed in the town square. C is in the cental avenue. D is on the landing. Assemble on the beach at 1900 hours.”

 

They broke off. Quistis's brows rose as she saw the little girl speed off, dust flying in her wake. It was like she had been built to be a runner. With that, Quistis went back to her own gunboat and waited.

 

“That little one is speed incarnate,” said Xu as she came back, tracking her progress through the binoculars. “What's her name?”

 

“Let's see... I don't recognize her, so she must be the Trabian transfer student. That would make her Selphie Tilmitt.”

 

“She should sprint professionally. Look at her go!”

 

Quistis laughed. Well, the faster Selphie ran and delivered the message, the faster Seifer and his squad would be back. As the other squads came back to the beach, she counted and found that no one was missing, thank Hyne.

 

But then Selphie didn't come back.

 

And neither did Seifer or Squall or Zell.

 

When fifteen minutes ticked by, Quistis was a little annoyed. At the twenty minute mark, she started to worry. Twenty-five minutes later found her pacing in the gunboat while Xu got on the horn to call the other gunboats and ask their candidates if they had seen Squad B. Finding a set of signal flares, Quistis climbed up to the gunboat nest and fired off three flares, which could be read by any SeeD as:

 

“Missing candidates. Four.”

 

Quistis waited, heart in her throat. She had no idea how long it was until she saw answering flares from somewhere in the middle of the city.

 

“Negative.”

 

Two other flares, one from closer to the mountains and one nearer to the beach.

 

“Negative.”

 

“Negative.”

 

Quistis gripped the flare gun and tried not to panic. The flares had come from all over the place. There were plenty of reasons why full SeeDs would not have seen the candidates. But she couldn't shake the fear and the deep sense that something was terribly wrong. She tried to channel it into annoyance, because she was sure that if she hadn't known the taste of Seifer's lips and the press of his body, she would be  _pissed._ Oh that damn Seifer, running into some sort of trouble. He was probably way out of position looking for glory, like he had during his last four tests. He was being an idiot and he had dragged along the rest of his squad.

 

Or he was dead.

 

Dread ran claws down the inside of her breastbone, ripping slowly into her organs. She wanted to be sure they weren't dead. She needed to be sure that Seifer wasn't dead. As the SeeDs started coming back, she raked her eyes over them searching for a familiar red-blonde head or a brunet one or a puff of silly blonde. Nothing. No one.

 

“Quistis.”

 

Quistis jumped and looked down at the gunboat hatch; Xu was half-up the ladder.

 

“Anything?”

 

“No.”

 

Xu sighed, her gaze dark. Quistis suddenly wondered how many of these tests that Xu had gone on as the Assistant Headmaster and how many candidates she hadn't seen return. Quistis swallowed hard.

 

“Normally I'd say we should clear out,” said Xu. “Dollet is safe, so our kids won't be trapped in hostile territory. Plus it's Seifer, so he's probably doing something he shouldn't. But...”

 

A thundering off in the distance made both women look up. Quistis grabbed her binoculars and scanned the town, jumping as a sudden puff of brick dust in the air shadowed something big and fast. A different sort of dread trickled down into her chest.

 

“Xu?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Tell the pilot to get ready. All of them.”

 

“Damn,” said Xu, sliding back down into the boat.

 

Another puff of dust. Then an explosion that made Quistis wince. She could tell from this distance that it was lightning, and it happened over and over. She started to sweat a little. Mentally she reviewed her own magic stores and cursed softly when she realized with didn't have any Thunders stocked.

 

“Come on,” she whispered as the lightning drew closer. Now she could see it without the binoculars and the crack of stone and mortar shattering under impact made her tense up. Whatever was coming was very, very large and she had the feeling that Seifer had something to do with it. She bit her lip and while she was waiting, checked the condition of the chain gun. It was primed and ready to go and Quistis aimed it at the likeliest place where the mystery object would emerge, near the stone steps leading down to the beach. She flexed her fingers on the triggers and waited.

 

Zell and Selphie the runner appeared first, white-faced and sprinting like hell itself was after them. Selphie was running even faster than she had before and Zell was dashing in that go-for-broke way that only the truly terrified could flee in. As they ran down the steps, Quistis gasped aloud as she saw what had been chasing them. A looming hunk of a Galbadian machine, something like a massive armored spider, was charging down the road, so huge and heavy that it tore chunks out of the pavement and completely shattered cars as it went. Barely visible in front of it were Seifer and Squall.

 

“You idiot,” Quistis breathed, her eyes going to her man. He was pale but grim-faced and she noticed that he was between Squall and the monster. Was that on purpose?

 

Or was he just not fast enough to get away?

 

Quistis aimed the chain gun and waited for the right opportunity.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Short chapter today for another monster update tomorrow. More art posted on my fanart tumblr: klepto-maniac0.tumblr.com

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	17. Chapter 17

/\/\/\/\/\

14 February 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

The path up to the summit was littered with dead Dollet soldiers, but Seifer didn't spare them a second glance. His blood was singing for the love of battle again, the addictive thrill of adrenaline running through his veins. Combat was what he was really good at, what he had been built for. Even being a SeeD was the means to an end. He would be best in the world at what he did no matter how many bodies he had to cut through.

 

And then no one would ever take away the people he loved ever again.

 

“Bring it on, you Galbadian cowards!” Seifer shouted as two soldiers spotted him and started running down the mountain. “Come on!”

 

“You're crazy,” Zell muttered.

 

“Lighten up, wuss,” Seifer said, raising his bloody gunblade. On his right, Squall drew from the Galbadians and made them stumble, giving them an opening for Seifer and Zell to finish them off. As Seifer blew a soldier apart with a well timed Fire spell, he heard a cry behind him and whirled around. Zell was fine. But there was an injured Dollet soldier on the path and he had screamed at the sight of them.

 

“It's okay,” said Squall, running up to the injured solder. “We're SeeD.”

 

“What's the situation?” Seifer asked, kneeling by the wounded man. He could tell at a glance that the man would probably be okay with some healing and went through his pockets, looking for a potion. With Squall drawing from everyone he came across and distributing the spoils during each break, none of them were low on any sort of magic.

 

“Fucking G-Army went up to the com tower,” coughed the Dollet soldier. “Dunno why, thing's been broken for years. And on top of that, it's always been a breeding ground for m—”

 

The soldier screamed and Seifer and Squall sprang back as a massive Anaconduar dragged the man into the underbrush. Zell shouted and ran forward, his fists flashing in the twilight sun. In a minute the Anaconduar was dead, but it was too late for the Dollet soldier, who had been ripped open from chest to hip. Squall looked away while Zell shook his head with a sigh.

 

“Monsters... Huh.” Seifer looked at the dead Anaconduar and grinned. “More fun for us.”

 

“Fun?” Zell repeated as they hiked up the mountain. “Puh-lease.”

 

“Shaddup, chicken-wuss.”

 

“WHAT DID YOU SAY!?” Zell near-shrieked. Unfortunately his shout brought more monsters down on them, though they were easy enough to dispatch. Alternately fighting monsters and Galbadians, they came to a ridge above the entrance to the communication tower and saw the specialists from earlier making their way in. Seifer hand-signaled for them to observe and they laid down atop the ridge, hidden from view but close enough to hear. As they lay down, Seifer suppressed a grimace; one of the Galbadians had clubbed him in the chest with the butt of his gunblade and it hurt more than he liked.

 

“ _Probably a cracked rib... I'll deal with it later.”_

 

“Finally!” said the commander as the specialists jogged up. “Where's the rest of the—never mind. Get in there! The generator is already up and running and they need the boosters now.”

 

“What the hell are they doing?” Seifer muttered.

 

“Repairs...?” Squall wondered.

 

As the Galbadians went in, they got to their feet. “Who cares,” said Seifer, putting Hyperion on his shoulder. “How are we feeling, boys? Liking your first real battle? Scared?”

 

Zell huffed but surprisingly Squall said, “...trying not to think about it.”

 

Seifer looked at him, remembering how pale Squall had been in the gunboat. And how he'd come to Seifer's room to talk about tests gone by. Unlike most, Squall did not mistake a healthy amount of fear for cowardice and Seifer found himself warming to the kid a bit more. At least he hadn't had to worry about Squall's combat abilities at all today.

 

“I love battles,” said Seifer frankly, grinning with the sheer amount of life that seemed to be rushing through his veins. “The way I see it, every battle you survive brings you one step closer to your dream.”

 

“Your _what?”_ Squall repeated, his eyes widening. 

 

“Your dream. Don't you have one?”

 

Squall folded his arms. “Sorry, I'm passing on that subject.”

 

“What about you, wuss?” Seifer asked as Zell glared. “You got a dream?”

 

“Punching you in your face when this is all over,” Zell retorted.

 

Seifer laughed. “Keep dreaming.” He dodged as Zell swung at him. “What's the matter, Zell? Swatting flies?”

 

“There you are!”

 

Seifer looked around, confused. Squall and Zell looked around too, but none of them saw the girl tumble down the pile of rocks until she slammed into Squall and nearly knocked him over the cliff.

 

“Oops,” she said with a little giggle. Looking around, the petite brownhaired girl said, “I'm looking for the captain...?”

 

“That's me,” said Seifer.

 

She brightened the instant he identified himself. “Okay, good! We've been ordered to retreat at 1900 hours.”

 

“What?” Seifer exclaimed as Zell heaved a sigh of relief. He checked his test-issued watch and swore. “That's in 30 minutes! And the enemy is still around! Are you kidding me?”

 

“No,” said Selphie innocently, cocking her head. She seemed completely unaffected by his anger, which threw him for a loop. “I ran all the way over here just to tell you. You were supposed to stay in the town square, you know.”

 

Seifer growled and raked his hand over his face. They were so  _close_ . “Fuuuuuu—”

 

“Orders are orders,” Squall reminded him.

 

“I know! I know!” Seifer irritably slashed at the air. “Fucking...”

 

He looked at the communication tower. It was stuffed with enemy combatants and he could only imagine how easy it would be to clear the entire building and go home with a real name. Look out for that Seifer, he's a killer. He's unstoppable. He's fearless.

 

But...

 

Seifer looked at his squad, automatically grouping Selphie in there too. Instinctively he knew they were all younger than he was and definitely not as bloodthirsty. They would  _probably_ follow him if he went in, but...

 

_“Make sure you work with your teammates,”_ he heard Quistis whispering in his memories. _“Understand their strengths and weaknesses. Don't abuse your authority by telling them to do something that they won't. Your field test isn't just about you. Don't think about standing out, think about doing your job well. Especially when it's boring.”_

 

“ _Or when it's really, really hard...”_ Seifer ground his teeth and looked at the communication tower again. His body seemed to vibrate with semi-berserk rage. It would be so easy...

 

“ _The order to retreat takes priority,”_ he heard Xu biting out in his head. 

 

“30 minutes and counting,” said Squall softly, bringing him back to the present.

 

“Fuck!” Seifer snarled. Turning angrily on his heel, he snapped at the younger teens, shouting, “Withdraw! Hyne fucking take it, withdraw!”

 

He stomped down the mountain path, barely aware of Squall and the others practically tiptoeing behind him. When he rounded a curve in the path, the ground suddenly shook and nearly knocked Seifer to his knees.

 

“The hell was that?” Zell demanded, looking around.

 

Selphie suddenly shrieked. Seifer spun on his heel and nearly screamed himself when he saw the massive mechanical spider dragging itself up the cliff they'd been hiding on. Obviously they'd been spotted.

 

“Run!” Seifer shouted, not that he had to. Selphie tore down the cliffside path so fast that her legs were a blur. Zell scrambled past, almost tripping over his own feet. Squall staggered and tried to run, but his face was pale with fear and he stumbled as the huge spider slammed one tree-trunk thick, railroad-spiked foot behind him. Seifer threw a Thunder at the creature but the weak magic puffed off and Seifer felt fear roll up his spine as the flashing red lights around its 'head' seemed to focus on him. Meanwhile Squall got up and started running.

 

They raced down the path, staggering as the spider-tank chased after them. Thinking of the traps he'd set around the town square, Seifer hurled ice magic in front of them and whooped as it slicked the path; he sprinted ahead of Squall and dropped onto his side, flying down the impromptu slide. Pain shot through his ribs, making Seifer swear, but he didn't have time to deal with it now. When he heard a yell above him, Seifer twisted around and saw Squall sliding too, though he'd landed on his front like a penguin. Any other time it would have been hilarious, but Seifer's eyes were on the hulk of the spider robot charging down the path toward them.

 

Hitting the uniced ground sent pain jarring up Seifer's legs but he rolled into a run, unconsciously clutching his side. Over his shoulder he saw Squall hit the ground face-first but manage to roll also, shaking dust and stars from his eyes as he got his feet under him. Slow dumbass was gonna get himself killed.

 

“Come on!” Selphie shrieked, jumping up and down near the bridge. Seifer grabbed Squall by the back of his jacket and threw him ahead a bit, keeping an eye on the mechanical spider. The ice didn't stop it at all. With a terrible thundering of its armored legs, it chunked and clunked its way down the path and stabbed through the thick magic. It would catch up in seconds. Seifer swore and started running again, swinging his gunblade to signal Zell and Selphie to run. Zell ran but Selphie clacked a pair of oversized nunchaku together and whispered something, making the air ripple around her. A far more powerful lightning spell that the one Seifer had shot off made the spider tank stagger and bought a few precious seconds.

 

Jumping over dead bodies and dodging debris, they hauled ass back to the beach, throwing Thunders over their shoulders when they could. Seifer's chest burned; he never ran this hard back home and clearly that was a mistake that might kill him as he felt the rumbling of the spider tank come closer and closer. Zell and Selphie were far ahead, which was good; instead Seifer kept his eye on the spider tank and on Squall, who seemed to be flagging. Was he limping? When had he gotten hurt? Fuck. Seifer scanned the area ahead as they ran over the bridge and into the town.

 

“Alley,” he shouted to Squall, pointing to a small and narrow space that looked like more of a shadow than a real escape. “Head for the beach!”

 

Squall nodded and they peeled off the main road, having to run half-sideways down the narrow alley. The spider tank tore at the buildings and they managed to get out just before the wall collapsed. Out of the corner of his eye on the left, Seifer saw Zell and Selphie streaking down the next road. He hand-signaled Squall to follow and they ran after their squadmates, now much closer.

 

“Oh no!” Selphie squeaked as the beach came in sight. “The gunboats!”

 

“Don't leave!” Zell cried out as the gunboats' engines roared to life.

 

“Shut up, there's still one left!” Seifer shouted even as he saw the other four peeling away. A flash of sunny blonde near in the chain gun nest made his heart soar. He fucking loved her right now.

 

The world seemed to rattle as the spider tank suddenly appeared behind them, shattering every window in the vicinity with the impact of its landing. Squall went flying, banging off a car; Seifer tripped and twisted, landing heavily on his injured side. Horrible pain stabbed through his organs, making him cry out. Seifer didn't mean to but he looked up, seeing the spider tank close in on them. It would be on them in ten of its steps, which meant about five seconds.

 

With a wrench of effort Seifer rolled onto his feet anyway and started running. Squall was staggering, clutching his shoulder. He _was_ hurt. Seifer saw the younger boy's chest heaving, his face almost grey. Seifer glanced behind them; the spider was still three seconds off. Locating the potion in his coat pocket, Seifer threw it at Squall and hit him in the chest. At once, the magically augmented fluid absorbed into his body and Squall put on a burst of speed that made Seifer stare.

 

Unfortunately there was no burst of speed for Seifer. Chasing down misbehaving brats, the occasional combat in the training center, none of it had helped this. He'd been fooling himself. And his chest really, really hurt with the effort of sucking down air that didn't seem to do anything. Nevertheless Seifer ran as his vision started to black out around the edges, as the strength of his legs and lungs started to fail more with every stride.

 

“ _I should die fighting,”_ he thought, nearly turning around. Anything to catch a breath. But again he saw a flash of sunny blonde ahead of him and the chain gun pointing straight at the tank. Seifer gritted his teeth and kept running. 

 

“ _No. Don't die in front of her.”_

 

“Come on!” Zell shouted from the gunboat; he was already inside, waving frantically. Selphie hovered on the shore, lightly panting as her huge green eyes stared at them hopelessly. As the spider tank crashed through the opening to the beach, Seifer and Squall fell through the tumbling debris and Seifer felt an internal crunch as a chunk of cement hit him in the right shoulder. Shooting pain nearly made him drop his gunblade, but he switched his grip and kept running. The end was in sight, even as every pounding step made Seifer want to collapse from pain. Squall was just barely ahead of him.

 

Distance. Distance. They needed distance. They didn't have distance.

 

“Come on,” Quistis whispered, aiming the reticle at the spider tank. Selphie and Zell were just barely close enough that she could shoot without worry, but Squall and Seifer were too close to the tank: she would hit them if she shot now, but if she didn't fire then everyone on the gunboat was dead. The need for action shrieked in her head, making her blood pound. “Come on.”

 

“Quistis!” Xu shouted from below. “Shoot it!”

 

“Come on...”

 

“QU!”

 

Quistis gritted her teeth and pulled the trigger.

 

Bullets sprayed the ground around Seifer's feet and whizzed past his head; he ducked and kept running, watching the surf churn around the beach as the gunboat began to reverse and pull away from the shore. He saw Selphie jump into the gunboat and Squall leap for it, just barely managing to catch the edge of the already closing doors. Fuck. As Seifer saw Squall haul himself into the boat, Seifer already knew he wasn't going to make it; he didn't have the strength to leap like that and he was too far away. Seifer skidded to a stop at the edge of the surf and turned around, shaking his spotty eyesight. The chain gun was shredding the spider tank but it was still coming. It would still get the gunboat. That fucker could jump.

 

“ _Alright,”_ he thought, gathering his thoughts to summon Quetzacoatl once more. _“One more time.”_

 

Why wasn't he on the boat? Why wasn't Seifer on the boat!? Quistis kept shooting even as her heart leapt into her throat and tried to tear out of her in a scream. She saw light pooling around Seifer as the spider tank clawed its way to him, chunks of twisted metal flying off as she shot at its joints and tried to slow it down. Seifer lurched into a standing position, raising his gunblade. She could see lightning flashing and crackling over his skin.

 

And then he vanished.

 

The avian form of Quetzacoatl burst from the swollen heavens, trailing what seemed like an entire sky's worth of lightning in its wake. Quistis kept shooting, hoping that this would be enough. She had to shut her eyes against the blinding light of the GF's attack and the air itself seemed to shatter as lightning exploded against the spider tank's body, but as soon as the hair on her neck stopped standing up, Quistis opened her eyes. Seifer had reappeared on the beach. The spider tank shuddered and then collapsed in a ruined, smoking pile.

 

“Nice,” she heard Xu say from around her waist; it was the shipboard communication speaker. “Didn't think he could stick it like that. And good shooting, Qu.”

 

“Yeah,” said Quistis, nearly sagging with relief. “I'm—”

 

The spider tank exploded. And a chunk of flaming debris caught Seifer in the stomach and blasted him into the ocean.

 

“Oh shit,” Quistis blurted out as Seifer disappeared beneath the waves. Lightning still played over his body; he was not going to be able to move for a while, not as exhausted as he was. Quistis remembered to drop her reading glasses into her pocket as she jumped out of the gunboat nest and dove into the water.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Whoop, there it is :D

 

I omitted the word 'romantic' from Seifer's speech because while in the game it's pretty obvious that he's using a more old-fashioned definition of the word, it just doesn't make sense in context with this fic. Even though we know otherwise, it would seem like he was exclusively talking about Quistis and that's not the feel I wanted at all.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	18. Chapter 18

/\/\/\/\/\

15 February 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

Water seemed to swallow him whole, subsuming the utter shock of the cannonball-sized piece of shrapnel that had slammed into his chest. As the waves closed above his head and dragged him under, Seifer realized that he was going to start drowning the second he could breathe. The twisted, shattered mass of the spider tank seemed to glitter in his mind's eye, making him grin faintly; that was a pretty impressive kill, and if it had to be the last... Well, that wasn't so bad. He watched the last of the sunlight play across the ocean above him and wondered what his obituary would say...

 

Obituary?

 

“ _I'm going to miss you so much.”_

 

“ _No,”_ he thought, his fingers twitching. Pain shot up his arm but he worked with it, reassuring himself that it just meant he was alive. _“No! Not like this, not in some bitch way. Not dying, not now... I haven't even seen her naked yet! All the way naked, not in a damn truck! Fuck! Fuck you, Almasy! Move!”_

 

Unfortunately his body translated 'move' into “breathe” and Seifer suddenly found himself choking. Seawater rushed into his battered lungs and seemed to drag him further down.

 

A mermaid appeared out of the depths and grabbed him under the arms, kicking with a tail that felt suspiciously like two legs. She was really strong. As they broke the surface Seifer vomited up saltwater, dizzy with relief and pain that still shot through his shoulder and ached fiercely throughout his stomach. At least he was still holding Hyperion.

 

“Breathe,” said the mermaid. “Come on.”

 

“...Quistis?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What...?” _"Why are you out here?"_

 

She huffed and began to swim toward the gunboat, which he was aware of as a dark smear on his vision. “Don't be surprised. Of course I'd get you.”

 

“Oh.” Seifer tried to kick and help her along. He knew he was heavy.

 

“Don't move, just let me pull.”

 

“Okay.”

 

He heard the back of the gunboat open and several hands grabbed his jacket and hauled him out of the water. Sudden motion and pain nearly made his vision go white, but his soaked lungs couldn't expand enough to create a shout. Quistis pulled herself out of the sea but let Xu give her a hand up onto her feet.

 

“Nice quick thinking,” said the older woman. “To both of you.”

 

“Huh?” Seifer looked at Xu blearily. He felt like his eyes were crossing. There was nothing quite like the pain of a broken bone, made all the worse for the summoning lightning still crackling over his body. It was annoying enough when he was at full health, but this just hurt like a bitch.

 

“I said, quick thinking, Seifer.”

 

“Oh. Thanks.”

 

Xu pursed her lips. “Maybe he should get hit more often,” she told Quistis as they moved into the gunboat proper. “He actually said thanks.”

 

Quistis just nodded, preoccupied. Seifer looked completely out of it and she remembered how he'd flown when the exploding wreckage had hit him in the chest. “Put him on the central table,” she told the candidates. “I'm not sure he isn't injured worse than he looks.”

 

“He is,” said Squall, making her glance at him. “I think his right shoulder's broken. And he got cut in the leg earlier.”

 

“Oh yeah,” Seifer remembered. “In the square. I—AUGH!”

 

“Sorry man,” said Zell as he picked Seifer up under the arms and put him down on the central table. “Hey, did you know your eyes are different sizes?”

 

“Shut up. Chicken-wuss.”

 

“You shut up. Dumb...slow...ass.” Zell threw his hands up in the air. Insults were not his forte.

 

“Thanks for summoning the GF,” said Selphie, hovering over Seifer. Her image seemed to blur in and out of focus, which Seifer distantly recognized was bad. “How do you feel?”

 

“Shitty.”

 

“Move so we can take a look at him,” said Quistis, shouldering Selphie out of the way. With Xu's help Quistis set Seifer's broken shoulder and sank a Cura into his bone to help it heal faster. Some of the focus came back into his eyes, which went to her immediately. Quistis pretended not to notice when he reached up and touched her face, though she was peripherally aware that the others in the boat were looking at them strangely.

 

“How do you feel?” She asked him, all professional business. 

 

“Better,” he said softly, still looking at her.

 

“But not all the way well?” Xu asked, frowning.

 

“I'm tired.”

 

Xu pursed her lips. Then before Quistis could say anything, she yanked open Seifer's jacket and sliced his undershirt open with one of her many knives. At once a gasp of horror rolled over the gunboat as everyone saw the huge and ugly bruising over his chest and stomach. It was dark purple; regular bruising, no matter how bad, would be at least yellow or green after a Cura.

 

“Internal bleeding,” said Xu, shaking her head at the mottled purple web. “No wonder he's not up and assholing around.”

 

“Is he gonna die?” Zell blurted out, eyes wide.

 

“I don't know.” Xu cast a Scan, her eyes rapidly assessing the information. “Get me the surgical kit, I need to let some of the bad blood out so he can heal properly.”

 

Quistis nodded and got to her feet, but Seifer tugged at the edge of her skirt. When she looked down at him, he had tilted his head up at an angle to keep looking at her. Quistis stopped breathing at the look of simple need on his face. 

 

_"Don't leave."_

 

“Uh... Okay,” said Xu, her eyes on Seifer's hand. “Squall, get the kit. It's in the pilot's compartment on the wall. Red box with a scalpel on it.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“ 'm sorry I was an ass in your class,” said Seifer. Quistis knelt down by his head, ostensibly disentangling his hand from her skirt; if she twined her fingers with his, it was subtle enough that no one else noticed. “I never didn't respect you. I just liked making you mad.”

 

Quistis's throat tightened up. This sounded suspicious on a level she feared to name. She tried to sound soothing as she said,  “You're not going to be in my class after this, Seifer. I'm giving you the highest recommendation.”

 

“Me too,” said Zell unexpectedly. “I mean, I thought you were a jackass but—ow!”

 

“Shush!” Selphie hissed. “Let them have their moment!”

 

“What moment?”

 

Selphie made a noise and hauled Zell to the galley. Xu kept one eye on Seifer's vitals and the other on them.

 

“Does it hurt?” Quistis asked him softly.

 

“Only when I think about it.” His voice was soft too, but not on purpose. Quistis saw Seifer's eyes start to flutter closed and she squeezed his hand, making him open them and focus on her. 

 

Squall came back with the surgical kit. Xu rolled her sleeves up and opened the kit, briskly putting on a pair of gloves and taking out a hollow metal straw with a sharpened metal tip that gleaming ominously. She fitted a plastic bag to the end of the needle.

 

“Squall, hold the bag,” she said, kneeling by Seifer's stomach. Squall eeled around her to sit on her other side and peripherally Quistis was aware of Zell and Selphie peeking in.

 

When Xu started probing Seifer's bruised stomach, he made a choking noise and half-lifted off the table in pain; Quistis squeezed his hand hard, not knowing what else to do. He looked at her, eyes wide and sweat beading his forehead.

 

“This is going to suck,” said Xu, pulling out disinfectant pads and briskly swabbing several points along Seifer's sides. “We'll have to cast healing magic on him as soon as I say so. _Strong_ stuff. Regen if you have it.”

 

“I only have Cura.”

 

“Then we'll make do. On the count of—oh, and Squall? Don't drop the bag. One, two, three...”

 

Seifer cried out as Xu plunged the needle into his side. Zell gagged as dark blood fountained through the metal straw and into the bag, which Squall very nearly dropped in shock.

 

“Eeew,” said Selphie in horrified fascination.

 

Seifer gasped, at once finding that he could actually breathe. The fierce pain in his side had turned into a dull ache and he lifted his head a little to see the blood draining into the bag. Squall looked like he wanted to pass out.

 

“Hey,” Seifer said to the boy.

 

“What?” Squall glanced up at him.

 

“There's a spider on your arm.”

 

Squall jerked violently and Xu elbowed him hard when he nearly dropped the bag, but it was worth it; Seifer laughed and then winced as Xu pulled the needle out and slapped a bandage on him neat as could be. She cast Scan again and nodded, apparently satisfied.

 

“One more stick on the other side and then it's healing time,” she said. “Quistis, two fingers down from the end of his fourth rib.”

 

Quistis nodded. It had been years, but she had done this sort of procedure in the field. She untangled her hand from Seifer's and held her hand out as Xu handed her a fresh needle and bag. As Xu tied off the bag, Quistis palpated Seifer's side and ignored his wincing. She could feel a clot of pooling blood under her fingertips.

 

“Gloves,” said Xu, passing her a pair. “And swab. Squall, go to the other side.”

 

“...okay.”

 

“No, it's alright,” said Quistis, noticing how Squall looked vaguely green. She gestured down the hall instead. “Selphie, come here.”

 

“Okay!” Selphie all but skipped over, dropping to her knees. “It's alright, I don't mind blood. My parents are doctors!”

 

“Lucky for us,” said Quistis with a little smile. With Selphie ready, Quistis lanced the clot and had to stop from jumping herself as heat and life suddenly surged through the needle, warming it up to a frightening degree. Selphie did not jump like Squall had, but there was a peculiar amount of fascination in her eyes as she watched the blood pool into the yellow-tinted plastic.

 

“This is actually one of the least gross things I've ever seen,” said Selphie when she realized Quistis was looking sidelong at her. “One time, this guy came in with _three_ pencils shoved up his—”

 

Zell gagged again and Seifer started laughing again, which made the needle jump alarmingly and blood spray down into the bag. Quistis smacked him lightly on the arm, her eyes on the insertion point.

 

“And done,” said Xu. Smoothly Quistis withdrew the needle but didn't manage to get a bandage on fast enough; blood spilled down the conference table and down onto the floor, making her gulp. As soon as she taped the bandage on, she and Xu cast Cura until Seifer's bruises vanished like burning tissue paper. At once he sat up, taking deep, painless breaths.

 

“Damn,” he said, looking down at himself. “I look good.”

 

Quistis couldn't help but laugh, though Xu just rolled her eyes.

 

“Get some rest, kiddos,” she said. “Oh, and Quistis? Seifer? You two have to take a shower. You smell like the sea and that is not a good smell in tight confines.”

 

“You first,” said Quistis to Seifer. “Don't use up all the hot water.”

 

“We could share,” he deadpanned.

 

“NOPE,” said Xu so loudly that anyone would have thought he was talking to her. “None of that! Shower time, now!”

 

“Killjoy,” Seifer threw at Xu, rolling off the conference table. As he left, Quistis was surprised to see Selphie lean out and then whistle.

 

“They don't make 'em like that back home,” said Selphie as she efficiently tied off the bag of blood and handed Xu the used needle.

 

“You don't have assholes back home?” Xu asked sourly.

 

“He's not an asshole. He's just funny.”

 

“What?” Xu exclaimed.

 

“Hey, it's not everyone who can joke about their own death,” said Selphie, getting to her feet. As she picked up the used iodine swab and wiped blood off her boot heels, she said, “And he's not exactly a bad squad leader either.”

 

“That's true,” said Zell, grumbling as he sat down. “He didn't suck as much as I thought he would. Even though he _did_ break orders to run around.”

 

“He did what?” Xu demanded, looking at Zell.

 

A flash of guilt went over Zell's face, replaced by a sort of pugnaciousness that Quistis hadn't seen in him before.

 

“We encountered soldiers in the town square,” said Squall, who had taken a seat while Quistis had been draining the blood. “A lot of them. Some of them escaped toward the mountains and Seifer decided that we needed to go after them.”

 

“Why?” Quistis asked as Xu made a noise of disgust.

 

Squall shrugged a little. “They were specialists carrying tools. We followed them up to the communication tower on top of Dollet. We think they were making repairs on the dish.”

 

“Repairs?” Quistis looked at Xu, who shrugged. “Why?”

 

“Not our business,” said the older woman, getting to her feet.

 

“There's something else too,” said Squall unexpectedly. When Xu looked at him, he said, “Seifer didn't want to go... But he followed the order to retreat. And he brought up the rear. He never left us behind. That has to count for something.”

 

The ringing endorsement from _Squall Leonhart_ of all people made the air go still. Xu studied him carefully before sighing and shaking her head.

 

“You're all going to be debriefed as soon as you get back,” said Xu. “So save it for the inquisitors.”

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: I've never actually treated hideous internal bleeding, so if anything is off medically in this chapter, just gloss it over with the healing power of magic, okay? Okay.

 

I had so much fun writing Selphie in this chapter. Her undisguised delight in things going boom has always made me laugh, but then I got to thinking that she enjoys certain other kinds of mayhem too.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	19. Chapter 19

 

/\/\/\/\/\

16 February 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

There was one very small shower in the gunboat, just big enough for one person. Unfortunately there was no soap. Seifer settled for a rinse and soaking his clothes in the sink to get the salt-stink out of them, and for a while he felt like his uniform; beat-up, worn out, too tight in stupid places. On the conference table he remembered reaching out for Quistis and touching her in front of everyone, to the point where that little runner girl Selphie had made a comment about a 'moment'...

 

...no. Fuck it. If things had been different, if he wasn't standing in the shower now, he wouldn't have changed a thing. So no regrets, no matter what the fallout of being so emotional cost him later.

 

Still, it had been a close thing. Definitely the closest he'd ever been dying himself. Internal bleeding, fuck that shit. Seifer hadn't even known something was wrong, he'd just felt so out of breath and so distracted by the break in his shoulder. Damn.

 

After a quick rinse under blazingly hot water, Seifer wrung out his clothes and snapped them dry as best as he could, but there was no way he was going to put something wet on again. Fortunately the gunboat had four large towels, so Seifer took one, dried off, and tucked it around his waist. Maybe there was a spare uniform somewhere around. He smirked a bit at the idea of strutting around in just a towel and scandalizing Xu, but the blush that Quistis would have would give everything away. In fact, just thinking about her reaction made Seifer mutter and then hop back into the shower for a quick unforgiving blast of pure cold.

 

“Where are your clothes?” Xu of course demanded when he eased out of the closet-sized bathroom.

 

“Soaking,” he said. “Is there anything else to wear or should I start charging for looks?”

 

“Don't flatter yourself,” said Xu, rolling her eyes. “And no, there's no spare clothing. Just hang your stuff up to dry. Oh, and Seifer?”

 

“What?”

 

“...Good job today.”

 

So he hadn't hallucinated that. Seifer rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

 

“Thanks,” he said. “I...tried.”

 

“I know,” said Xu, folding her arms. “And when you try, Seifer, you're very good. I wish you'd do it more often instead of haring off. You're talented and it pisses me off when I see you wasting it. _So don't do it anymore, okay?”_

 

“Okay,” said Seifer, stunned that he was having a civil conversation with Xu.

 

“And one more thing,” said Xu, her dark eyes sparking. “Quistis.”

 

Oh shit. “What about her?”

 

“Exactly how long have you been crushing on her?”

 

...oh. That's what she thought. Phew. “About a month,” he said, seeing no point in lying.

 

“Okay,” said Xu slowly. “Does she know?”

 

“Uhhh....”

 

“You know that's not appropriate, right?”

 

“Yeah, I know,” he muttered, tired of the conversation already. “Can I go hang up my clothes, or...?”

 

“Fine,” said Xu, stepping aside. Seifer made a show of wringing his clothes out in the sink and taking them out with him The bunks in the gunboat had curtains and rails, so Seifer climbed onto the topmost bunk and hung his damp clothes over the side. Two hours would hopefully be enough time to get everything dried out. He felt a little bad but in the best way as he pulled the towel off and lay in the bunk, naked and gloriously alive. Things could have been bad today, but they weren't. Everyone was alive, he personally felt better about this test than he'd ever felt about any others, and he'd gotten to kiss Quistis in front of everyone.

 

He could have done without the near death experience, but nothing was perfect.

 

He heard boot heels on the floor below and lifted his head just enough to see Quistis going into the shower. Whistling softly, he grinned as she turned and looked at up at him. He could see her blush.

 

“Nice shooting,” he told her.

 

“Nice summoning,” she told him, her eyes lingering on his body. Seifer grinned broadly. “I'm glad you're alright.”

 

“Can't die before I'm a SeeD,” he said, watching as her blush deepened.

 

“Yes, well... We have the debriefing and the inquisitors first.”

 

“Any tips on passing those?”

 

She looked at him strangely. “Just be honest. What were you doing before?”

 

“Being honest,” he said, though that wasn't technically true... Seifer knew no one else would stand up for him, so in past tests he had maybe talked himself up a bit too much. Obviously that hadn't worked. Maybe channeling Squall's dead fish face or Quistis's professional demeanor would work better.

 

“Mm-hmm,” she said skeptically. Seifer's eyes gleamed as she took her hair out of her clip and finger-combed it loose, reminding him of the time in the truck when he'd first gotten her off and she'd leaned out of the window to bask in pleasure. When she pulled off her tie, Seifer sighed softly as he remembered how she'd blown his mind in her own classroom. When Quistis unbuttoned her jacket, her neat white shirt was pressed wet and slick to her body, revealing something white and possibly lacy that he really wanted to see.

 

Quistis, the little minx, made sure she had his focus and then stepped into the bathroom and shut the door. Seifer swore softly and fell back on the bunk, restless and aching.

 

In the shower stall, Quistis stripped off her clothes and rinsed the salt off them and her at the same time. Though the water was nice and hot, she felt like her blood was warmer still; it was evident from Seifer's clothes drying around the bunk that he was naked up there and since they had a whole two hours...

 

“ _No. Calm yourself, Quistis. You aren't in the clear yet.”_

 

That wasn't just it. She'd looked at Xu's scan and interpreted the backwards lettering, and what she'd seen had chilled her to the core. Seifer probably had no idea how close he'd come to dying, but without magic he definitely would have bled out from a near pulverized liver and a punctured spleen. Her heart hammered with how close they had come. Vividly Quistis recalled his lonely figure on the beach, summoning against an impossible monster of a robot...

 

...knowing that he was being left behind and choosing to take a stand anyway...

 

So many other people would have gone down and screaming and Quistis wouldn't have blamed them one bit. There was nothing wrong about being scared. But Seifer had been _more._ And that... Well, that was admirable.

 

Hyne, she had been so afraid that she would shoot him by accident, because no matter what anyone said, friendly fire _wasn't_ , and a chain gun could turn a man into red ruin in under a second. She shivered for the death that he might have had, but Seifer hadn't cared. That was just how he was, he lived for the moment and for the future, never paralyzed by doubt or what might have been. That was why he'd thrown caution to the winds and kissed her in front of everyone. She envied that sort of abandon, which she only seemed to have when nobody was looking.

 

Hmm.

 

Quistis shut off the water, wrung out her clothes, and towel-dried. When she exited the bathroom and looked around, she saw that Selphie and Zell had folded down the seats in the main compartment to take a nap too and that Squall was sitting and reading something, slowly eating a granola bar. Xu was up with the pilots. A flood of anticipation stole her breath as Quistis seriously toyed with the possibility of climbing up to where Seifer was, and the fact that it was a terrible idea only made it more appealing.

 

But not appealing enough to actually go through with.

 

Quistis arranged her damp clothing around the rails on the bottom bunk and was about to slide in for a nap when she heard a knock on the wall. It was Xu, looking around the corner.

 

“Hey,” said Xu quietly. “Can we talk?”

 

“Of course. What about?”

 

“Something's been on my mind and... Well, I could use your input.”

 

Xu, asking her for advice? Quistis pushed her wet clothes off to the side and patted the bunk. Xu sat next to her and laced her hands together. For a while the older woman said nothing.

 

“Okay, back when I was a student, I had a thing with a professor,” she said unexpectedly, making Quistis's stomach freeze. On the top bunk, hidden by the drawn curtains, Seifer went still and breathless.

 

“Surely you mean 'for',” said Quistis, but Xu cut her off with a shake of the head.

 

“No. With. It was illegal as hell. He ended up getting fired. Everyone assumed he took advantage of me and that's true since he was older, but... At the time, I really thought I was in love. And it almost ruined me, Quistis.”

 

“...Why are you telling me this?” Quistis asked softly.

 

“Because...” Xu sighed. “I saw the way you were looking at Seifer. And the way he was looking back at you. He has a crush on you, you know. And I think you might have a bit of one on him too.”

 

“ _It's a little bit more than that,”_ thought Quistis and Seifer at the same time. Neither of them said it aloud, of course.

 

“Look, as annoying as he is, I'm not gonna deny that he's good looking. And adrenaline does funny things to people.” Xu poked her in the arm. “Don't do anything foolish, okay?”

 

“What do you mean?” Quistis asked, trying not to squirm.

 

“I mean...” Xu pursed her lips. “Look, a lot of times people mistake lust for love. I know I did. So just know what you're getting into, okay?”

 

“I think I can tell the difference, thank you,” said Quistis, though she guiltily remembered she'd been wondering about the same thing earlier. She still wasn't sure what the answer was and she winced when Xu looked at her with narrowed eyes.

 

“Oh?” Xu came over and sat next to her on the bunk. As she took the clip from Quistis's hands and pulled a travel brush from her pocket, Xu asked, “Then what is it? Lust or love?”

 

“With who? Seifer?”

 

“No, dummy, with Headmaster Cid. _Of course I'm talking about Seifer!”_

 

Quistis opened her mouth and had no idea what to say. Xu looked at her and knew it.

 

“Hey,” Seifer said loudly, making the women jump. He was afraid of what Quistis would or wouldn't say. And if she said the answer that made his heart leap and explode, he didn't want to hear it like this. An interruption was definitely in order. “I'm up here.”

 

“Shit,” Xu muttered, turning red. Raising her voice, she said, “Cover your ears.”

 

“Make me,” he snapped back.

 

Xu muttered some curses in her native language before getting to her feet. “Remember what I said,” she told Quistis. “You too,” she told Seifer. “Especially if you _don't_ pass, Seifer.”

 

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

 

Xu left the room muttering and Quistis sat quietly on the bottom bunk, her chest roiling with Xu's last question. Seifer stared up at the ceiling, wondering the same thing. Both of them were afraid to break the silence.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Intense emotional dramaaaa. I also took out a section of smut because it made no sense here. It was fun, but completely nonsensical. Oh well.

/\/\/\/\/\


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, thanks so much for nothing  
> I hope you find that something  
> Or whoever she is you think you're looking for.  
> Oh, don't do me any favors,  
> I guess I'll see you later,  
> Matter of fact, don't come 'round knocking on my door...

/\/\/\/\/\

17 February 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

 

Song lyric selection: "Johnny" by Melanie Fiona

/\/\/\/\/\

 

His clothes were still damp, but he couldn't exactly go out naked. Seifer redressed and then climbed down from the bunk as the gunboat started to slow down. When he came to the floor, Quistis was also redressing. She glanced at him and then turned away, shoulders hunching up toward her ears. What did that mean? Was she embarrassed by everything that had happened? Or just being spotted? Seifer rubbed the back of his neck and had to look away too. Fucking Xu and her fucking lectures... Except there was no one to blame except themselves.

 

“ _Who the fuck cares if it's love or lust?”_ He tried to convince himself. _“We're just having a good time, one day at a time. That's all it needs to be right now.”_

 

“ _What if that's all he wants out of me?”_ Quistis thought as she reknotted her tie. The longer she thought about it, the more her chest hurt. _“It's not like we have common interests or common friends. Even once he becomes a SeeD and we don't have to hide, how long until he realizes that we're still strangers? And I... Do I want him around? I think I do. Is that love?”_

 

Stupid Xu. Stupid reality.

 

She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and without looking, she knew who it was. Seifer stepped close and kissed her behind the ear again, feeling her shiver. He didn't know what to say, he had no idea what she was thinking. But he remembered this doubt and awkwardness from the Training Center and the elevator and he didn't want that again. When Quistis put her hand on his, he sighed in relief.

 

“I'll pass,” he breathed.

 

“You'll pass,” she whispered back.

 

They exited the gunboat, Quistis remembering to put the CD back in her jacket. She'd listen to it tonight.

 

It was night when they stepped onto the dock. A car was waiting for them and Seifer covered his mouth as he yawned; he was looking forward to going back and resting. He instead jumped as a pair of hands clapped over his eyes.

 

“Guess who!” Sang a patently recognizable falsetto.

 

“Gaaay,” he responded as Raijin laughed and clapped him on the back. Fujin came around his other side and they peeled him away from the group.

 

“CELEBRATE,” said Fujin firmly.

 

“Uhh...” Seifer glanced back at Xu and Quistis. Xu waved her hand at him.

 

“Just be back by morning,” she said. “And you're responsible for your own accommodations.”

 

“Oh, we can do that?” Zell exclaimed, making everyone look at him. “In that case... Can I stay at my house? I wanna see my mom.”

 

“Sure,” said Xu. “Walk back with Seifer and the DC tomorrow. Be in the Garden by 8:40 at the latest. Debriefing starts at 9am.”

 

Zell nodded and ran off, strutting like a chicken. Seifer found himself being hauled to the hotel by a boisterous Raijin and smiling Fujin, the former peppering him with questions about the test. To Seifer's surprise, Fujin shut him up with “WAIT.”

 

“Wait?” Raijin repeated blankly, but then brightened. “Oh yeah! Hey Seifer, we met a friend of yours!”

 

“You did?” Seifer asked, confused.

 

“Yeah! Rinoa! Did you know she was in Balamb?”

 

Fuck. _Fuck._ Seifer felt his blood go cold.

 

“I knew, yes,” he said, trying not to sound awkward. “She came in earlier today.”

 

“Right,” said Raijin. “And she has a _gold_ card, man. We are eating good tonight! She ordered up everything, we're going to her room to party.”

 

Seifer couldn't help but glance over his shoulder. He saw Quistis  _not_ looking at him as she climbed into the car with Squall and Selphie and Xu. Shit. 

 

“And I think she has a few bottles of...” Raijin made a drinking motion with one hand, which made Fujin smack him on the arm. “What? He came back alive! What's not to celebrate?”

 

Fujin and Seifer exchanged glances and simultaneously shook their heads.

 

Rinoa was waiting for them in the hotel lobby when they came and her happy shriek at seeing Seifer made him squirm inside even as he returned her enthusiastic hug. This was not good, but he couldn't figure out how to escape without telling everyone the truth and it just wasn't safe yet.

 

“ _On the other hand... They're my friends,”_ he thought as they went up to Rinoa's room, Raijin and Rinoa chattering like old pals. _“If I can't tell them, who_ can _I tell?”_

 

“WOW,” Fujin said as they went up to Rinoa's room. It was the penthouse suite, naturally; Rinoa despised her station, but she wasn't above abusing her daddy's credit card when the right mood hit. She had ordered a lot of food from one of Balamb's nicer restaurants and Seifer's stomach growled when he saw the pasta, the soup, the expertly poached and dressed Balamb fish. Everything was in takeout containers, but hey, nothing was perfect. And there were two bottles of what looked like wine on the table, which made Seifer wonder how Rinoa had gotten alcohol until he looked at the labels and realized they were sparkling grape juice.

 

“So how was the field test?” Rinoa asked as they tucked in.

 

“Enh,” said Seifer. When Fujin looked at him significantly, he laughed and said, “It was a field test. We lived. I actually got saddled with semi-useful squadmates this time, so that was nice. Being a leader ain't easy.”

 

“What'd you have to do?”

 

“Secure an area and hold it.”

 

“Sounds boring,” said Raijin.

 

“Yeah... Well, the spider tank that showed up livened things up a bit.”

 

“The what now?!”

 

So Seifer spent an hour talking about the field test, enjoying Rinoa and Raijin's reactions as they gasped in all the right places. Fujin kept putting food on his plate and smacking Raijin when he tried to take more than his share, so when Seifer finally got a break he had plenty to eat.

 

“How'd you three meet?” He asked as he tucked gratefully into the pasta. It was seafood pasta, but everything was so fresh that nothing tasted or smelled fishy in the least.

 

“Oh, I was hanging out by the docks to see if you'd be coming in,” said Rinoa, smiling prettily. “And then I saw these two doing the same thing, and as soon as I heard them talk, I knew who they had to be.”

 

“I like her,” said Raijin, pointing at Rinoa with a plastic fork. “She's fun. No wonder you fell in love.”

 

As Seifer choked on his noodles a bit, Rinoa laughed and smiled. “Come on, don't make him snort his pasta.”

 

“It was true, though,” said Raijin as Fujin nodded. “He came back from Galbadia and moped. I've never seen him like that before.”

 

“Did not mope,” Seifer said through a mouthful of noodles, turning red.

 

“MOPED,” said Fujin, nodding.

 

“I can't imagine you moping,” said Rinoa to Seifer, her eyes dancing.

 

“Seifer doesn't mope like normal people do,” said Raijin. “He turns into a huge asshole.”

 

Seifer sputtered. “Hey!”

 

“Picking fights, throwing insults, just getting into trouble—”

 

“Hey!”

 

“DETENTION,” said Fujin, nodding. “INFIRMARY. RINSE AND REPEAT.”

 

“Freaking traitors,” said Seifer as the three of them burst out laughing. “Fine. I was 'mopey'.”

 

“Should we get out?” Raijin asked, waggling his eyebrows.

 

“I don't think his girlfriend would like that,” said Rinoa, popping open a bottle of sparkling juice. Seifer swore as Fujin and Raijin snapped around to look at him.

 

“GIRLFRIEND?” Fujin said, her brow raising.

 

“Yeah, _girlfriend?”_ Raijin repeated.

 

“...oops,” said Rinoa. Except when Seifer glared at her, he could tell she wasn't sorry at all. Nobody grinned like that when they were sorry.

 

“She's not my girlfriend,” said Seifer, cringing at how much of a twelve-year-old he sounded like. “It's complicated.”

 

“WHO?” Fujin demanded.

 

“Nope.”

 

“Come onnnnn, you owe us!” Raijin poked him in the side. “We know you've been weird for like two weeks at least. Who is she?”

 

“Not telling.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“I told you, it's complicated.”

 

“Well, why is it complicated?” Rinoa asked, pouring out juice for everyone. As Seifer took his glass and drank, he nearly spat the liquid out.

 

“This is not grape juice,” he said to Rinoa.

 

“It definitely is not,” said Rinoa, her eyes flashing with merriment. “But labels are real easy to switch if you know how.”

 

“CHAMPAGNE,” said Fujin happily, taking her own glass.

 

“So why is it complicated?” Rinoa repeated, picking up her glass. Now prepared for what it was, Seifer drained his champagne in one gulp before putting it down.

 

“She could lose her job,” he said frankly.

 

“Oh...” Fujin and Raijin looked awkward. Rinoa looked at the two of them and then at Seifer, who refilled his rocks glass with champagne.

 

“Hmm...” Rinoa drummed her fingertips on the table as she studied Fujin and Raijin. “So... Looks like you two have an idea, which means you all know her. Which means she's working at the Garden. Let me guess. She's... A teacher.”

 

Seifer nearly jumped out of his skin. “Why would you say that?” He asked, trying to sound innocent.

 

“Because I can't think of any other reason why someone would lose her job for dating you,” she said, resting her chin on her laced hands. “I'm right, aren't I?”

 

“I'm not saying shit.”

 

“So I am right,” said Rinoa, making Seifer grumble. “Let's see... Well, I know you're not into cougars. So it has to be someone around our age. If I check the Garden's roster...”

 

Seifer abruptly stood up, making everyone blink at him. “I do not want to talk about this,” he said, pointing at them all. “Not now. Not for a long time.”

 

“SIT,” said Fujin, grabbing his belt and yanking him back into his seat.

 

“We ain't gonna tell on you,” said Raijin, looking slightly injured. “It hurts, you know? I thought we were friends.”

 

Seifer rubbed his face in both hands. “We _are_ friends, but... It's not that simple.”

 

“Because she draws porn too,” Rinoa murmured.

 

Seifer hit the table. “Damn it, Rinoa!”

 

Raijin suddenly started yelling, waving his hands like mad. “No!” He shouted, jumping to his feet. He was pale under his tan. “No! No! No! Are you kidding me? _Are you kidding me?”_

 

Fujin looked at him in bewilderment, but Seifer just put his head in his hands and groaned. Rinoa sipped her champagne.

 

“Aaaaaugh!” Raijin all but ran out onto the balcony. Fujin patted Seifer on the shoulder and went out after him, probably to make sure he didn't fall off in his brain-breakage fit. Seifer lifted his head and looked at Rinoa from across the table.

 

“Why did you do that?” He asked.

 

“I didn't know they didn't know,” she said, gesturing at them with her glass. “Sorry.”

 

“Are you really?”

 

“Yes, I am,” she said, looking at him pointedly. “I want you to be okay when I'm gone. If she's part of that, okay.”

 

From the balcony, Fujin screamed. Apparently the cat was out of the bag. Seifer grabbed the bottle and drank from it directly.

 

“Good thing I bought a bunch,” said Rinoa, watching him drain the bottle. “I just hope you hold your liquor better than last time.”

 

“I could say the same for you.”

 

Rinoa just giggled. Despite everything Seifer found himself smiling begrudgingly at her.

 

“If I ever get the opportunity, I am embarrassing you just as bad,” he said.

 

“Bring it on,” she said cockily. Seifer chuckled.

 

When Fujin and Raijin slunk back into the room, Rinoa and Seifer were talking about movies and the tension in the room eased. They stayed up late and found an old movie on the TV that was so cheesy that they ended up turning off the sound and making up their own dialogue, which turned a stilted love story into a sordid tale of smuggling crack rocks in various undergarments across international borders. The king bed was big enough for everyone to lie on, though Seifer had to smack Raijin a few times to get his feet out of his face; in the end Seifer stuck a pillow on top of Raijin's legs and used them as an armrest so Raijin would quit kicking his legs.

 

When that movie ended, they watched another and at some point, Raijin rolled off the bed and started snoring so loudly that Seifer and Fujin dragged him to the sitting room section of the penthouse suite and threw him on a couch; once he wasn't facedown, the snoring stopped. They had all continued drinking and went through four bottles, which they were trying to slog through out of determination more than anything else. The end result was Raijin's unconsciousness, with Fujin's following closely behind; she curled up on the corner of the king-sized bed like a cat while Seifer and Rinoa kept watching TV.

 

It seemed very natural in more ways than one to sit on the bed with Rinoa curled against his side, his blood throbbing with a combination of alcohol, exhaustion, and a bit of banked lust that Seifer was too tired to pay attention to. At some point in time he knew he had to get off the bed and go sleep on the other couch since the girls had claimed the mattress, but Rinoa had fallen asleep and he didn't feel like moving. Seifer looked down at her and started idly stroking her hair. He liked Quistis, he knew that... But he couldn't imagine her being here right now. He couldn't imagine her laughing and joking with Fujin and Raijin, teasing him on a purely friendly level. Everything that he and Quistis had was lust, he realized.

 

And what would happen if that petered out? Did Quistis Trepe have it in her to actually date?

 

“ _Do I?”_ thought Seifer, still stroking Rinoa's hair. He missed Rinoa. And Rinoa was right here. She had traveled so far just on his word, which sent another flutter of heat through his veins. Damn. Seifer kissed her chastely on the head. Definitely, definitely in another world...

 

Rinoa stirred and lifted her head. “Seifer?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“What time's it?”

 

“About one.”

 

She murmured and put her head back on his chest. For a while he thought she'd gone back to sleep, but then she said, “Do you remember that time on the train?”

 

He remembered and sighed. “That was the second week, right?”

 

“Mmhmm. I remember resting on you just like this... We had the whole compartment to ourselves.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Hey.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Are you serious about her?”

 

Seifer stroked Rinoa's hair. “I don't know,” he admitted. “Right now it's fun and forbidden and I... I don't know. It's early.”

 

Rinoa made a noise of acknowledgement. Seifer closed his eyes. He was prepared to go to sleep but then became aware of Rinoa sitting up and sliding closer. He was not particularly surprised when she kissed him again, half-straddling his leg as she tugged on his jacket. She smelled so nice.

 

“What gives?” He asked her softly.

 

“I could ask you the same thing,” she whispered back. “Shouldn't you be stopping me?”

 

“I guess.” Seifer wrapped his arms around her waist. “Is this bad?”

 

“Probably.” She kissed him again and he tasted the alcohol on her tongue. “Definitely.”

 

They made out for a while, slowly and quietly so as not to wake up Fujin. The alcohol seemed to dull the edges of the moral panic Seifer knew he should be feeling, but it was hard to think of anything with Rinoa molding herself to him, guiding his hands to her breasts and biting her lip as he squeezed gently. A dull thudding in his veins made him shift and grind his hips up against hers, making Rinoa gasp softly.

 

“This is real bad,” he told her.

 

“Then stop.”

 

“Then get off me.”

 

“No,” she said, making his blood thrill. “I have my own reasons.”

 

“Fuck,” he groaned, grinding against her again.

 

“Really?”

 

“Shut up.”

 

Rinoa kissed him deep and sweet, making his hesitation fizzle around the edges. Seifer knew he wanted this. And she was definitely ready for it.

 

And yet...

 

“Nope,” he said, breaking off abruptly. Rolling over, he slung Rinoa onto her back and hopped off the bed, heading for the sitting room. He raked his hand through his hair, not looking over his shoulder. He knew for sure that he didn't know what was going on with Quistis yet, it was _probably_ just lust, but damn it, he was not going to fuck it up before they had it figured out. Quistis didn't deserve that. And he needed to do better no matter what happened.

 

Seifer threw himself onto the free couch and lay on his stomach, covering his head with a cushion as Raijin started to snore. Great. Somewhere behind him he heard Rinoa tugging at the sheets and then Fujin muttering sleepily. Seifer took deep breaths and counted to 50, willing the resentful throbbing in his blood to calm down. Somehow he managed to fall asleep.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: :D :D :D Told you I had a soft spot for these two. And also drunken, ill-advised teenage shenanigans.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	21. Chapter 21

/\/\/\/\/\

18 February 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

“ _Rinoa is a girl's name...”_

 

“ _We're going up to her room to party!”_

 

“ _It's...personal.”_

 

“Hey, Qu.”

 

“What?”

 

“Pull over. I'm driving.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I'd like to make it to the Garden in one piece and you look like you're going to murder someone. Keys. Now.”

 

Quistis grumbled, but it was true that she wasn't exactly concentrating on the road; she'd nearly hit a swarm of Bite Bugs in the first few miles and in the back Squall and Selphie were very quiet, probably sensing she was in a bad mood. So Quistis pulled the wheel over and got out, slamming the door and then getting annoyed that she was so visibly, publicly irritated. As she crossed around the front of the car to swap seats with Xu, the older woman caught her by the arm.

 

“Control yourself,” said Xu firmly, looking into her eyes. “It's just a crush.”

 

It wasn't just a crush, but she couldn't say that. “I don't know what's going on with me,” said Quistis instead. “I... I've never felt like this before.”

 

“Exactly. So calm down.” Xu paused. “And you know... Maybe it's not a bad thing if it doesn't work out.”

 

Her words felt like a knife in the heart. “Xu!”

 

“Get in,” said Xu, climbing into the car. When they were inside, Xu turned on the radio and changed the speakers so they pumped exclusively into the back of the vehicle. Pitching her voice so only Quistis could hear, she said, “You know, your first boyfriend should be one who isn't a jackass.”

 

“He's not a jackass,” said Quistis, completely missing how Xu had already decided that she and Seifer were an item. For her part, Xu's brows only rose.

 

“You're the one who started calling him a jackass when he came back from Galbadia.”

 

Quistis floundered. “Well... That's not the same!”

 

“People don't change overnight, no matter how shiny they get,” said Xu as she started driving. “Look, I'll be happy for _you_ because this is a new development and it's exciting. But let me tell you, the instant I think he isn't treating you well, I'm kicking his ass all over the Garden and I don't care who sees me. And I'm not talking about if he hits you or what, I'm talking about if he talks down to you, if he makes you feel bad about yourself, if he tells you that you're lucky you have him, or that he'll break up with you if you don't do what he says. That's not a good relationship.”

 

Every point that Xu brought up hit Quistis like a stone in the heart. Guiltily she remembered doing some variant of _all_ of those things to Seifer, usually accidentally. Xu was so worried about Seifer not being a good boyfriend that it never occurred to her that perhaps Quistis would be a bad girlfriend.

 

Xu kept on going, saying, “And don't buy his bullshit if he tries to dog around on you either.”

 

“Dog?”

 

“Cheating,” said Xu succinctly, making Quistis think about the mysterious and unwelcome Rinoa. “Sometimes guys will come up with these perfectly reasonable excuses, like 'she's just a friend from out of town' or 'it wasn't anything serious', but I'm telling you now that if he isn't committed 100%, there's no reason for you to be there. You can't keep waiting around for him to get his head out of his ass and change his mind.”

 

“But what if he is just confused?” Quistis asked, curious more than doubtful.

 

“There's a difference between confused and using confusion as an excuse to behave badly,” said Xu. “And the difference is how sorry he is. If he's actually sorry? Me, personally, I'd let him slide. But just once and depending on what he did, I wouldn't look at him the same. But if he's _not_ sorry, he's gonna make excuses and try to talk you into believing that it's not such a big deal, and if you buy it, he's gonna do it again and again. Don't put yourself through that, Qu.” Xu pursed her lips. “Actually, any time you find yourself making excuses for him, take a step back and ask yourself, 'if I were seeing this in a friend, would I be suspicious?' And if you would be, that's it. Don't treat yourself worse than you'd treat your friends.”

 

Quistis folded her arms and looked out of the window. She had read enough magazines and dating advice columns, both out of boredom and for research for her submissions (shit, the next one was due in two days) that she knew how women were supposed to conduct themselves in relationships. But it was different hearing things from Xu, who dated frequently and—

 

“ _No,”_ thought Quistis suddenly. _“Xu doesn't date. She hooks up. She has one-night stands.”_

 

Quistis glanced sidelong at her friend, who at times functioned like a mother and a big sister all rolled into one. Obviously Xu wanted Quistis to be happy, but it occurred to Quistis that Xu did not have all the answers and maybe didn't need to be listened to...

 

...especially when it came to Seifer. Her bias was well known.

 

It was around 10pm by the time they got back to the Garden and Selphie and Squall were dozing lightly in the back. As they climbed out, Xu reminded them of their debriefing tomorrow at 9am. Quistis grimaced. As one of the administering SeeDs, she would need to be debriefed too, but hers would be even earlier at 8am. No time to do anything but sleep tonight, apparently.

 

As she picked up a late-night snack from the Cafeteria and went up to her room, Quistis pulled the CD out of her pocket and studied it. The note was still inside. Since Seifer was nowhere around, she pulled the paper out of the case and opened it. There was a strange shakiness in the script that wasn't in any of samples of his writing she had ever seen. As Quistis read the words, it was like she could hear Seifer's voice in her ear. 

 

_Quistis,_

 

_If I don't make it, I want you to know that you made me want to be better. You deserve the best._

 

_Seifer_

 

Quistis pressed the note to her lips, not to kiss it but to push against the sob-like noise that was struggling in her throat. She couldn't help but wonder how he could write this and yet be in Balamb with Fujin and Raijin and a girl who she was pretty sure was an ex-girlfriend...

 

“ _Is that_ better _for Seifer?”_ She thought sourly and then wondered seriously, _“Is it?”_

 

Surely he'd be better off with someone smaller...cuter...more demure... He was obviously used to handling women like they were delicate, considering the way he was so gentle with her, constantly checking to make sure she was alright. It didn't seem like Seifer took romance lightly. Was that better or worse, then, knowing that he was spending the night with a girl he'd used to know? Because if she'd come all the way from Galbadia to this tiny island, then they hadn't had a mere fling. It was...probably...

 

“ _Love,”_ thought Quistis and felt a hideous squeeze in her chest. Ugh. She hit herself lightly in the breastbone as she exited the elevator and went to her room, trying not to feel so stupidly upset. All the logic in the world was like a sandbag against a tide of emotion that made her feel sick. What was happening to her?

 

“ _He can't stop thinking about me. He said so himself. I'm going to believe that.”_

 

So Quistis put her music player in the bathroom, drew a bath, and when the tub was full, put in the CD that Seifer gave her. She hesitated only a second before hitting play, not sure what to expect. This wasn't actually the first mix CD she'd ever gotten, though this was the only one that she'd actually been happy to receive. Her fanclub could be...weird.

 

The first twangy notes of a jaunty guitar utterly bewildered her and she listened closely, feeling that the song was vaguely familiar. Unconsciously she started nodding along to the music as she undressed and climbed into the tub, hissing a bit at the temperature.

 

“ _Hey! Hey! What's the matter with your head, baby? Yeah!”_

 

Wordlessly she stared at the CD player. Really?

 

“ _Hey! Hey! What's the matter with your mind and your sighin' and your ooh-oh-oh_

_Hey, hey, nothing's the matter with your head, baby, find it_

_Come on and find it_

_Hell with it, baby, 'cause you're fine and you're mine and you_

_Look so divine_

 

“ _Come and get your love!”_

 

Quistis burst out laughing and could not stop. It was such a ridiculous song that she could not take it seriously and somehow that made her take Seifer more seriously. This song at least seemed to indicate that he was very interested but not creepily attached. And since she was still figuring herself out, that was the best thing she could have hoped for.

 

The rest of the CD was a peculiar mix of upbeat fluff and surprising melancholy, with several tracks that made Quistis blush with their unrestrained sensuality. Two tracks were instrumental, which forced her to think about what Seifer had had in mind when he'd included them, and after listening to them both twice she still had no idea. Quistis listened to the entire CD twice before the water chilled and she decided it was time to sleep. It was around eleven, which would give her plenty of time to rest before the debriefing. Quistis ate her snack/dinner and went to bed thinking of how nice it would be to have Seifer in bed with her, sleeping alongside her after they were both exhausted...

 

...after he passed his test.

 

“ _He'd better pass the field test,”_ she thought as she drifted off. _“Or else.”_

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: If you want to hear the mix CD, go to http://8tracks.com/kleptocom-560/new-seed. Enjoy!

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	22. Chapter 22

/\/\/\/\/\

19 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

Seifer woke up with Fujin shaking his shoulder and the smell of coffee brewing. When he lifted his head, he winced; he'd apparently slept with his head twisted to the side all night and his neck hurt like a dirty rotten bitch. As he tried to squeeze the seized muscles into flexibility, he looked around and briefly had no idea where he was. Oddly enough it was the sudden sound of Raijin's snore that made him remember what had happened.

 

And what had nearly happened.

 

“ _Shit,”_ thought Seifer guiltily, looking around. Rinoa was puttering around by the coffeemaker and when she turned, Seifer instinctively tensed. But she just smiled at him.

 

“Sleep well?” She asked him, holding out a cup of coffee.

 

“Alright,” he said, getting up. “What time's it?”

 

“0630,” said Fujin, going over and shaking Raijin. He did not wake up easily, so Fujin pinched his arm and adroitly dodged the sudden flail of his sleeping body.

 

“Damn,” said Seifer, sitting up. Walking, it took about two hours to get back to the Garden, and that was without any monster encounters. Nevertheless Seifer got up and took the coffee from Rinoa, trying not to feel awkward as she looked up at him.

 

“Don't worry about it,” she said softly as Fujin shouted “WAKE UP” in Raijin's ear. As the darkskinned teen yelped and flailed off the couch, Rinoa sipped her own cup of coffee and said, “We were drunk. And I wasn't myself either.”

 

Seifer exhaled in relief. “I'm—”

 

“Shh,” she said gently.

 

So Seifer sipped his coffee, which was liberally sweetened with cream and sugar to the point of being drinkable, if also thick enough to stand up a spoon in. He felt nervous energy buzzing through his scalp almost immediately. “By the way, SeeD Graduation Ball should be tomorrow. Cid will be there.”

 

“Good,” she said, smiling. “I'm looking forward to talking to him. And seeing you in your new uniform, of course.”

 

“ _Fate willing,”_ Seifer thought with a little shiver. The debriefings after the field tests were almost rougher than the tests themselves, with disk-faced faculty and hardened SeeDs picking at your every motivation. He was not looking forward to it considering that he still wasn't feeling his best. Oh well.

 

“The Garden usually sends down a fleet to Balamb,” said Seifer, making Rinoa nod. “A lot of people have their kids in the Garden. You should be able to walk right in.”

 

“TIME,” said Fujin, making Seifer jump a bit. He set the coffee down and took a moment to clean up in the bathroom so he didn't look like a mess, grimacing as he realized that his shirt was still in pieces; Xu had sliced it open to check his wounds and he didn't have a spare. Buttoning the too-tight jacket over his stomach, he tested the mobility and found it was adequate, even if the gaping area around the chest made him look a little like a male stripper. Seifer considered going back to the Garden topless, but that wouldn't go over well at all. He sighed and resigned himself to looking weird.

 

“See you soon,” he said to Rinoa as they left. “Thanks for the food and the room.”

 

“No problem,” she said, giving him a friendly hug. He wasn't sure how to feel when her embrace inspired nothing, even with her head against his bared chest. “See you tomorrow.”

 

They met Zell by the town gate and were surprised when he was holding a basket of something that steamed in the morning air. He had a slightly belligerent look on his face and it was obvious that he didn't want to walk with them, but safety was safety.

 

“What's in the basket?” Seifer asked as soon as they were within normal talking range.

 

“Ma made some pies,” grumbled Zell. “For the walk.”

 

Raijin opened his mouth probably to say something sarcastic, but Fujin exclaimed “PIES!” in a tone of such delight that all the boys looked at her in surprise. Encouraged by her enthusiasm, Zell opened the basket and handed her one. They were hand pies, perfect for walking and eating. Fujin bit into hers immediately and narrowly missed spattering her clothes with fruit.

 

Zell looked through the basket. “Got some apple, some strawberry, some oyster—”

 

“Some _what?”_ Seifer interrupted.

 

“Oyster. They're mine.” Zell picked a pie out of the basket and bit into it with relish, though Raijin and Seifer both recoiled as something gray oozed out of a crack in the crust. “No touching,” said the blond warningly.

 

“No problem,” said Seifer. He walked over to the basket and peered in. He had no idea what was delicious fruit versus oyster. Oyster? Really? Ugh.

 

“None for you,” said Zell, snapping the basket shut.

 

“What?”

 

“Not unless you ask _nicely.”_

 

Seifer rolled his eyes. “Zell, can I please have a pie?”

 

“Okay,” said Zell, opening the basket again. Surprised at how easy that had been, Seifer took the pie that Zell handed him and sniffed it experimentally. It was fresh-baked, almost too hot to hold, and smelled like blueberries. Seifer took a bite and groaned as delicious sweet-tart syrup and fresh berries popped into his mouth.

 

“Your mom's a saint,” Seifer said through a mouthful of pastry.

 

“She's pretty great,” said Zell, grinning.

 

They walked back to the Garden at a brisk pace, eating pies and dodging the occasional monster. It was around 8:10am when they got back to Balamb Garden and Seifer and Zell took off for their rooms at a jog, needing to get ready for the debriefing and the inquisitors. Seifer showered and changed into his normal clothes with a sigh of relief and went to the second floor, where the inquisitors had commandeered a classroom for their questioning. When Seifer arrived, a disk-faced faculty member was just coming into the hallway.

 

“Almasy, Seifer,” he called.

 

Just in time. Seifer approached the faculty member and followed him into the classroom. With a bit of a smirk, Seifer realized it was his usual one.

 

There were two faculty members and two SeeDs in the room. There was no chair for the candidate and Seifer stood before them, feeling a sense of deja vu; this was his fifth time facing such a tribunal.

 

“You were the designated leader for Squad B,” said one of the faculty members, looking through the mission file. “Consisting of Zell Dincht and Squall Leonhart. This is your...fifth...time taking the field test. Glutton for punishment, aren't you?”

 

Seifer put his hands behind his back so he could make fists without anyone seeing him. “All experience is valuable,” he said evenly, trying to think of how Quistis would respond. He'd seen her deal with difficult cases plenty of times before, usually because he was one of them.

 

“Begin your report,” said the faculty member.

 

“We arrived at Lapin Beach at 1700 hours and reported to our assigned location, the Dollet Town Square. Our mission was to clear out G-Army soldiers in the city of Dollet proper and defend the town square.”

 

Seifer took a deep breath, knowing that this was going to be rough. But he wouldn't have changed a thing, so why regret?

 

“Squall, Zell, and I defeated a group of eight soldiers and then later encountered a group of eighteen. I used Quetzlcoatl to destroy eight of the eighteen and we dispatched six more with mundane means. Four of the soldiers escaped into the mountains. I ordered my squad to pursue so they couldn't ambush the SeeDs already in the area.”

 

“You broke orders?” The other faculty member asked, leaning forward. The SeeDs glanced at each other and one of them, a man, cocked his head at Seifer in consideration.

 

“No,” said Seifer, making a little ripple of confusion go over the tribunal. “We were supposed to eliminate G-Army in the city. They were still in the city when we pursued.”

 

“But you left your post.”

 

“Only to _completely_ finish the job we started.” As Seifer saw the adults start to write on their pads, he said, “And there was something else.”

 

“Oh?” The first faculty member lifted his head, though Seifer still couldn't see his face. “And what might that be?”

 

“The four soldiers that escaped were carrying specialized tools,” said Seifer, making everyone sit up a little in interest. That seemed like a good sign. “My squad and I tracked them to the communication tower above Dollet and found that they were making repairs.”

 

“Yes, yes, we already know this,” said the second faculty member, making Seifer's heart sink a little. “Galbadia promised to clear out of Dollet as long as we left the tower operational. That is not important. You deserted your post, something you have a history of doing, and you have only this repair excuse and...what was it?”

 

“Thoroughly eliminating the enemy,” said the male SeeD, folding his arms. Seifer noticed he was wearing Trabian colors, while the female SeeD next to him was Galbadian. There weren't many Galbadian SeeDs since their Garden mostly trained the military, but the ones that did exist were rather deadly. Seifer wasn't sure if he'd seen Galbadian SeeDs at his other tests, but realized it was probably in a Garden's best interest to bring in outsiders for the debriefings.

 

“Yes,” said Seifer, inclining his head toward the Trabian SeeD. “The SeeDs are our seniors and our future colleagues. Leaving hostile forces behind them didn't feel right.”

 

“Hmm...” went the faculty members.

 

“Continue with your report,” said the Galbadian SeeD, lacing her hands over her stomach.

 

“Yes. Upon reaching the summit, we were able to confirm that the Galbadian army was making repairs. I wanted to investigate more thoroughly and clear the communication tower, but Selphie Tilmitt found us and told us we needed to retreat. So we retreated.”

 

“Selphie Tilmitt?” One of the faculty asked. The other one flipped through his papers.

 

“A runner from Squad A,” he said.

 

“During our retreat, the Galbadian Army set some sort of walking tank after us,” said Seifer, making the Galbadian SeeD sit up a bit. “We ran. When we got down to the beach, Instructor Trepe shot at it with the chain gun on the assault boat and I summoned Quetzacoatl to finish it off. We destroyed it.”

 

“You destroyed an X-ATM092?” The Galbadian SeeD asked, her eyes widening. 

 

Seifer shrugged. “Sure, if that's what that was.”

 

“Why?” One of the faculty members asked as the Galbadian SeeD settled back in her seat. “What about it?”

 

“The X-ATM092 is one of the toughest machines that the Galbadian Army has,” she said, looking at Seifer with new respect. “A literal all-terrain assault vehicle and walking war machine. It can jump a hundred meters and track individual targets in a crowd. It is very fast. And it self-repairs. The fact that this candidate was able to destroy one is nothing to sneeze at.”

 

“He had the assistance of Instructor Quistis Trepe and a chain gun,” said the other faculty member cuttingly.

 

“The _initial_ field tests for the X-ATM092 killed fifty people in less than a minute,” said the Galbadian SeeD tartly. “Not to mention that it _chased_ him and his squad from the top of a mountain, across a narrow bridge, through a town, and didn't catch any of them. Don't undersell this.”

 

“It would not have been set on them in the first place if Candidate Almasy had not left his post,” said the second faculty member, making Seifer grip his fists behind his back. “As it stands, all the damages incurred by the Garden by the X-AT...whatever, are his responsibility.”

 

“Take it out of his paycheck,” said the Trabian SeeD, looking Seifer up and down. “He'll live long enough to pay back the costs.”

 

The second faculty member named a figure that made Seifer boggle. “That is how expensive chain gun ammunition is,” said the faculty member snidely, making the two SeeDs look away. “Chain gun ammunition that was wasted on a completely unnecessary encounter.”

 

“Let's move on,” said the first faculty member, clapping his hands once for order. The second faculty member settled, though the SeeDs looked a bit resentful. Seifer felt his heart hammering in his chest. He had never seen the inquisitors argue like this before. “Candidate Almasy, is there anything else you would like to add to your report?”

 

“...Nothing pertinent,” said Seifer, wracking his brains.

 

“How did your squad perform in battle?” The Trabian SeeD prompted.

 

“Fine.” When the SeeDs looked at him meaningfully, Seifer tried to be more descriptive. “Squall Leonhart is a quick thinker who takes orders well and seems equally gifted in magic and physical combat. Zell Dincht whines a bit, but he has a gift for knowing where to strike and when he's needed. He can also literally punch a guy's head off, so that's something.”

 

“And how did they follow orders?” The Galbadian SeeD asked, writing something on her clipboard.

 

“Great,” said Seifer. “They didn't sass me or backtalk.” Well, aside from Zell's whining in the square, but Seifer didn't really count that. Zell whined about a lot of things.

 

“And when you broke orders, how did they react?” The Trabian SeeD asked.

 

“Squall said he would follow the captain's orders,” said Seifer. Quistis _had_ told him to be honest. “And Zell wanted to stay put, but he followed when I made it official.”

 

“Did they ever separate from the group at any time?” The first faculty member asked him.

 

“No.”

 

“Did they ever display cowardice or other unsuitable behavior?”

 

“No.”

 

“During the chase with the...tank, how did they react?”

 

What the hell kind of question was that? “They ran,” said Seifer, looking at the first faculty member strangely. “We all did.”

 

“Did they run in an orderly fashion?”

 

“What?” Seifer demanded incredulously.

 

“He means, did they run around like chickens with their heads cut off,” said the Trabian SeeD, rolling his eyes a bit.

 

“No. I told them to get down to the beach and they got.”

 

“Prior to summoning Quetzlcoatl, did you engage the machine?” The first faculty member asked.

 

“Sort of,” said Seifer. “I threw a Thunder at it, but it didn't do much. Selphie—the runner, she was with us when it came—threw a Thundara and that got it to stop a bit.”

 

“Excuse me, but how did you outrun that thing?” The Galbadian SeeD interrupted, sitting forward in her chair. “Its top speed is 40mph.”

 

“Well, Zell and Selphie had a headstart,” he said, thinking back. Had the tank really run that fast? No wonder his chest had been hurting. “Squall and I weren't so quick. When we reached a slope on the mountain, I sort of made an ice slide and we slid down. And when we were in town, we ran between spaces that were too small for it.”

 

“An ice slide?” The second faculty member asked, a frown in his voice.

 

“Yeah...” Seifer pantomimed the gesture. “You cast Blizzard, but you roll it along the ground and make a sheet.” Belatedly he added, “I set some traps in the town square that way too. People can't fight if they can't stand.”

 

The SeeDs nodded, though they seemed surprised. The faculty members glanced at each other.

 

“Demonstrate this ice slide for us,” said the first faculty member.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Down the center of the classroom. Do it now.”

 

Seifer frowned. “I'm not going to get docked for this, am I?”

 

“No,” said the second faculty member. “But hesitation will cost you.”

 

Fine. Seifer turned around and gathered ice magic in his hand, slinging it along the ground like he had back in Dollet. As soon as the ice was laid, he took a light run and slid across it all the way to the back of the classroom. He turned with a flourish and slid back, giving a little hop at the end to land back in the 'at ease' position. The SeeDs looked impressed, which he hoped was a good sign.

 

“Interesting,” said the second faculty member, scribbling away on his clipboard. “And are you able to do any other unorthodox applications of magic?”

 

“Yeah,” said Seifer warily. He'd had to practice such things in secret, having often been yelled at by his instructors for not following proper form.

 

“Demonstrate.”

 

This was easily the weirdest debriefing he'd ever had. Seifer cast Thunder and between both hands and stretched threads of lightning between his fingers like they were taffy, which was something Raijin had showed him how to do. From Fujin, Seifer took his sole Aero spell and blasted it down at the ground, popping himself up to the ceiling with no apparent effort; the judges were visibly shocked. Seifer grinned and decided to show off the best for last. Fire spells had always been his forte, so Seifer concentrated hard and with a smug smile, 'hung' three Fire spells in the air around his head, where they burned like lanterns. And just because he could, he juggled them.

 

“Where did you learn to do this?” The second faculty member asked, sounding _very_ interested now.

 

“My friends and I play around with magic in my free time,” said Seifer, dismissing the fire with a thought. “It gets boring casting it the same way over and over.”

 

“It gets boring,” the second faculty member repeated. He looked at the other faculty member and pointed at Seifer, saying, “He says it gets _boring._ ”

 

“It's been a while since there's been a real innovator,” said the Trabian SeeD, resting his ankle on his knee and looking Seifer over. The Galbadian SeeD nodded and smiled. Seifer had to try really hard not to smile back.

 

They asked him a few more questions before telling him he was dismissed and that the assessments would be announced later. Seifer left the room not sure if things had gone well or very badly since they'd kept him for such a long time. As soon as he came out, Zell (figuratively) pounced on him.

 

“How was it? Was it bad? Was it awful?” Zell pressed his knuckles to his mouth, his eyes going wide. “Did they make you strip?”

 

It was like cracking through a pane of glass. Seifer stared at Zell as bizarre blonde reality completely shoved his debriefing worries aside.

 

“What. The. HELL?” Seifer demanded, not bothering to keep his voice down.

 

“You know, injuries and stuff,” said Zell, dancing with anxiety. “Because you were bleeding and then you almost died and you gotta keep an inventory of magic used—”

 

“No, they didn't make me strip,” said Seifer, not sure whether to laugh or smack Zell upside the head. Who had told him such bullshit? When he glanced around the hall, he saw a couple of the older candidates suppressing their giggles and suddenly realized what had happened.

 

“ _If I wasn't first up, I'd be doing the same thing,”_ thought Seifer with a little grumble. He _liked_ pranking the candidates. 

 

“Okay, good!” Zell nearly collapsed with relief. “Because I got shot in the butt and—”

 

“Shut up,” said Seifer before Zell could get too into it. “You're fine. They don't want to see your ass.”

 

“Dincht, Zell!” A voice boomed behind them, making Seifer jump and Zell yelp. Wordlessly Seifer clapped Zell on the shoulder and left.

 

There was nothing to do between the debriefing and the announcement, so Seifer decided to patrol and keep himself busy. As he headed toward the elevator he saw it dropping down from the third floor and when the doors opened, Quistis was inside. She was hugging herself and seemed preoccupied.

 

“Hey,” said Seifer, but she didn't look up. When the doors closed he touched her arm and watched as she jerked her head up, her eyes wide. “What's wrong?”

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: "Did they make you strip?" was probably my favorite line of the entire chapter. If you want to see Zell's face, here is the link to the art blog: http://klepto-maniac0.tumblr.com/post/112470253907/my-favorite-line-from-zell-so-far-d-chapter-22-of

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	23. Chapter 23

/\/\/\/\/\

20 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

(earlier that morning)

 

SeeD debriefings took place in the Headmaster's office with Cid, Xu, and the Dean of Students, a robed individual who went by the name of Zama and whom Quistis strongly suspected was not entirely human. Every SeeD that went on the field test had to be debriefed and interviewed about the candidates that they saw, which helped determine which candidates actually passed. Quistis had an even more substantial role since she was also an Instructor, which meant she would be delivering assessments on all candidates who were also her students. Fortunately as a concession to the early hour there were coffee and donut holes available outside the office and Quistis managed to eat a few before she was called in. Cid, Xu, and Zama were all sitting in chairs in front of Cid's desk and there was another chair before them. Having been debriefed like this before, Quistis took a seat and folded her hands in her lap.

 

“Good of you to come so early,” said Cid, which made Quistis cock her head. “So, we're here to discuss the matter of Squall Leonhart and Seifer Almasy.”

 

Had he hesitated for a second before saying Seifer's name? Quistis's eyes flicked over to Xu, who was perfectly impassive. Xu hadn't...said anything, had she? Quistis swallowed.

 

“What would you like to discuss?” Quistis asked.

 

“Candidate Almasy was the squad leader for his group,” said Zama. “Would you say that he performed adequately, above adequately, or poorly?”

 

“Above adequately,” she said. She meant it. “In the past he's been a showoff, but he made a real effort to actually lead this year and his team endorsed him without being prompted.”

 

“And what particular action or actions stand out as 'above adequate'?”

 

“He was willing to give his life to allow the gunboat to escape,” said Quistis, making Xu's lips thin slightly. “Had he not summoned Quetzlcoatl, we would have been attacked for certain.”

 

Zama nodded, or at least the yellow disk covering his face seemed to nod. “Commendable. And what attacked you?”

 

“Some sort of Galbadian military device. It resembled a spider. It was heavily armored and very fast.”

 

“And where did they encounter this device?”

 

“I believe it was chasing them,” said Quistis, thinking about the puffs of smoke and flashes of lightning she had seen.

 

“From where?”

 

“From... Outside the town.”

 

“Outside the town?” Zama sounded surprised. “SeeD candidates were not to leave the town proper. Was Candidate Almasy unaware of this fact?”

 

“No. But—”

 

“Then he deliberately disobeyed orders.”

 

“Yes,” said Quistis reluctantly. She didn't know why he would do such a thing, except maybe out of habit; the comments on his past field tests indicated that he always ran out of position. “But he must have had a reason.”

 

“Which we will ascertain during his assessment,” said Xu, making Quistis look at her in surprise. “What about the others in his squad? Squall and Zell?”

 

“As far as I could tell, they performed adequately,” said Quistis.

 

“And as their teacher, how are they in class?”

 

Zell wasn't her student, so she assumed they were talking only about Seifer and Squall. “Seifer and Squall typically do not get along,” she said. “However, they displayed a remarkable ability to set aside their personal animosity and work together as a team. Whatever their feelings, they are professionals.”

 

“It says on these student files that you had to give them detention recently,” said Zama, making a thunderbolt of dread go through Quistis's stomach. “What was the reason?”

 

“They were fighting in the hall.”

 

“About what?”

 

Quistis shrugged helplessly. She couldn't exactly say the real reason. “They told me it was a difference of opinion and would not go into the matter.”

 

“Hmm. And do they have 'differences of opinion' often?” Zama asked shrewdly. “Their medical reports also indicate that they injured each other on the day of the field test.”

 

“That was an accident,” said Quistis, thinking of what Squall had told her on their walk back from the infirmary. “They are naturally competitive and do not believe in holding back. Injuries are to be expected.”

 

“Do you believe there is a possibility that they may try to murder each other?”

 

“Murder?” Quistis exclaimed. “No! That's not how they interact. They're... Well, they're rivals. If one of them died, the other one wouldn't know what to do.”

 

“That seems as accurate an assessment as any,” mused Cid. “They've been like that ever since they were children.”

 

“In your opinion,” asked Zama. “Who would make the better SeeD? Squall Leonhart or Seifer Almasy?”

 

Quistis hesitated. “On paper, it would be Squall,” she admitted. “His stats are fairly balanced, he follows orders well, and is obviously capable enough to survive on the battlefield. However, Seifer displays a rare intuition about the most efficient means to an end and while he skews more toward physical combat, he's definitely no slouch when it comes to magic. Honestly, the Garden would benefit by having both of them as SeeDs.”

 

“If you had to pick one,” Zama pressed.

 

Quistis sighed. She laced and re-laced her fingers and ended up looking down at the floor.

 

“Squall,” she said quietly. “There is very little chance that Squall would ever embarrass the Garden.”

 

“And you think Seifer would?” Cid asked, looking at her in mild confusion.

 

“No, only that he may be more likely.” Quistis straightened her glasses. “Seifer is...brash. And impulsive. He has a bad temper. He did well on the field test and I choose to believe that he will improve, especially with the added responsibilities of being a SeeD, but that doesn't change the fact that he will always be a bit of a wild card. He will be best suited to hunting assignments and any other kind of straightforward mission.”

 

“But not sensitive or political ones,” Zama said, making Quistis nod reluctantly. She felt horrible for saying these things, knowing that she was probably shooting her future before it could even start. But she had to be honest. Xu was looking at her consideringly.

 

“Quistis, if Seifer had _not_ been in charge, how do you think he would have reacted?” 

 

Quistis bit her lip. “I...”

 

“ _I promise I'll pass.”_

 

“I think... He would have not _liked_ it, but he would have followed orders.”

 

“Really,” said Xu flatly, her gaze disbelieving. “You think _Seifer_ would have followed orders. Even from a younger squad captain he had a history of violence with.”

 

“This entire year, Seifer has been extremely motivated,” said Quistis. Gesturing at the files that Zama was holding, she said, “You can look at his development. Granted, he's not in the top ten by any means, but there is _no_ subject in which he did not display at least a 20% improvement in over the past year. That tells me he's trying. That he's finally taking this seriously.”

 

“And what do you think spurred this change?” Cid asked.

 

“Age,” said Quistis promptly. “He's eighteen now and his brain chemistry is settling. He's better able to make sensible decisions.”

 

“Anything else?” Cid asked. “Any personal reasons, perhaps?”

 

“Not that I can think of,” said Quistis slowly. After all, his grades had been improving long before they had starting doing things. She wondered if she'd said something wrong when Cid and Xu exchanged a glance and then wondered exactly just how much they knew. Her stomach started to cramp.

 

“And do you feel that your assessment is colored by personal feelings?” Zama asked, making the bottom drop out of Quistis's stomach.

 

“Pardon?” She asked faintly.

 

“It's escaped no one's attention that all of your friends are substantially older,” said Zama, folding long, pale hands in his lap. “One cannot help but wonder if you ever seek companionship from your age range.”

 

“I would _never,_ ” Quistis flat-out lied, desperately trying not to sweat or sound like she was protesting too much. “I'm a professional. I'm their teacher, an authority figure! I wouldn't abuse my position like that!”

 

“You misunderstand,” said Zama, making Quistis wonder immediately if she'd said too much. “I speak not of coercion, but of transference. Do you feel that you may grade students better so they will like you?”

 

...OH. Oh. ...oh.

 

“I don't believe that I do,” said Quistis, thinking hard about her interactions with her students. She was professional, she knew it. But... Did she treat some of them better?

 

“ _I know I talk to Brount, Nina, and Alia after class nearly every day, but they come up to_ me! _And I spend a lot of time with Squall, but I thought that was because he needed support. And Seifer... Well, that's a different subject. It certainly doesn't affect his grades._ ”

 

“Has that been a concern?” She asked, worried.

 

“Something to that effect has been said,” said Zama, making Quistis's hands tighten into fists.

 

“May I ask by whom?”

 

“You may not,” said Zama.

 

“Quistis,” said Cid softly, making her turn. “Are you happy as an Instructor?”

 

“Yes,” she said, stunned that he would even ask. “Very much! I love teaching. I love watching students become better and really enjoy learning.”

 

“And do you ever miss the field?”

 

“...sometimes,” she admitted, shrugging helplessly. “But usually only when I'm grading.”

 

Xu laughed softly, which made Cid's mouth quirk into a little smile.

 

“One more thing,” said Zama, making Quistis look at him apprehensively. “Xu's incident report indicated that you jumped into the ocean to save Candidate Almasy when he met with an accident.”

 

“Yes...?”

 

“Why?”

 

“He's my student,” said Quistis, wondering if this was a trick question. Cid and Xu suddenly looked concerned, which made her wonder what she was saying wrong. “He was injured; he was in the ocean because he got hit by flying debris. He was also in summon-shock and probably would have drowned. Later we found out that Seifer had heavy internal bleeding and most likely would have died even if he hadn't been in the water.”

 

“You forced the gunboat to turn around for you,” said Zama, making Quistis stare. “In times of war and intense combat, we cannot go back for everyone.”

 

“I know that,” said Quistis, her pride stung. “But the mission was completed. I saw no conflict of interest in preserving a valuable potential comrade.”

 

“Would you have left him if the situation did not allow for an easy rescue?”

 

Quistis opened her mouth. The words stalled in her throat as she realized she had no idea what she would say. She knew what she was  _ supposed  _ to say, but...

 

“ _It wouldn't matter if it was Seifer, pre-kiss Seifer, Squall, Xu, anyone... I couldn't do it. I couldn't let them die in front of me.”_

 

“That'll be all,” said Zama, looking at Cid and Xu. “Unless...?”

 

Cid shook his head. Did he look sad? “That will be all,” he said, straightening his spectacles. “Thank you very much, Quistis.”

 

“Your classes are canceled for today,” said Xu as she got up. “So just relax. Alright?”

 

Quistis nodded and took her leave politely enough but her head was whirling. She hadn't been expecting questions about her Instructorship like that. As she left the Headmaster's Office, she became aware of the other SeeDs looking at her and wondered if they knew something she didn't. But when she looked around, no one met her glance. Several turned their backs to her. Her comrades turned their backs on her. Quistis's throat locked and her eyes started to burn. Something bad was going to happen.

 

When she stepped into the elevator she hugged herself and shut her eyes, trying to fight against the low fear that was bubbling up inside her. Her throat ached. With an iron will Quistis told herself that she would  _ not _ cry, she didn't even know if anything was wrong yet. There was nothing to be upset about. Nothing.

 

“ _Except maybe throwing Seifer under the bus...”_ She thought guiltily. But what could she do? She had to be honest. She was barely aware of the elevator dropping. 

 

“Hey.”

 

Oh, someone was in the elevator. Great. Quistis took a deep breath to compose herself, but mid-breath someone touched her arm and she jumped, turning to look into Seifer's eyes. She had always thought of them as sea-green, but when he was concerned they darkened into something more like emerald.

 

“What's wrong?” He asked her. Quistis hovered in place, torn between wanting to lean against his side and turn to face the wall. She really, really hoped she hadn't torched his chances at SeeD.

 

“Oh... Um. I got debriefed,” she said when he kept looking at her with those worried eyes.

 

“Is that all?” He asked.

 

“...no.”

 

Seifer folded his arms and leaned against the elevator wall. “Wanna talk about it?”

 

“Not really,” she said, sighing. There wasn't anything to say, after all, just her mind going crazy like it sometimes did. She made herself change the subject. “So, how was yours?”

 

“Weird,” said Seifer. “They asked me about the bare facts of the mission, why I did this and that... They had me cast some magic. I think the faculty had it out for me, but the SeeDs from Trabia and Galbadia were pretty cool. Apparently that spider tank thing was death on legs before we got to it.” He rubbed the back of his neck, saying, “I don't remember any of the other field tests being this intense afterwards.”

 

“It sounds like mine,” said Quistis. As Seifer's brows raised in surprise, she said, “Usually they're very short, but in my case they just kept asking questions over and over...”

 

“Well, maybe it's a good sign,” said Seifer. He cocked his head, saying, “What was your field test like?”

 

“Hmm? Oh. It was an assassination.”

 

Seifer stared. “They took a candidate on an assassination?”

 

“There were four of us,” said Quistis, casting her gaze to the side. She didn't like thinking about her field test much. “We were just supposed to lock the doors and keep people from coming in. But then the army came in and we had to fight... Everyone died. I ended up having to kill the target myself. Xu got me out.”

 

“That sounds...horrible,” Seifer said, stunned.

 

“It was,” said Quistis, still looking off to the side. It was a scene she still saw in her nightmares and maybe it was a blessing that everything had gone by too fast for her to really see the horror; mostly she just heard the screaming. “I was still using a _jian_ back then. I threw it away after that, I couldn't stand to look at it. Hence the rope dart.”

 

“And then the whip?”

 

“Mm-hmm. You know, I've only been using the whip for about two years. Do you know why I switched?”

 

“No.”

 

Quistis shivered a bit. This memory was not one she liked revisiting either. “It was on a mission. I was fighting a swordsman, a really good one. He sliced the dart part off my weapon and basically left me with a string. I strangled him to death, but it took...a long time.”

 

Now that was an image that haunted her, the hoary face turning purple-black, eyes and tongue bulging from his mouth as he struggled to live. Quistis had had to lock her legs around his arms and chest to keep him from striking her. She remembered the phlegm-filled rattle of his last breath and the blooming stink as his bowels completely let go.

 

“Hyne,” said Seifer softly. “You must have been what, fifteen? Sixteen?”

 

“Sixteen. So I needed something sharper.”

 

“I see,” said Seifer slowly. “Well, seems like you like the whip.”

 

“I do,” she said. Finally she looked at him. He looked worried, but not as scared as she'd feared. That was something good, at least. Even the most ardent Trepies got freaked out when she started talking about her kill record. “Oh... Please press the button for the first floor.”

 

“Sure.” He complied and went back to looking at her as the elevator dropped. “...Hey.”

 

“Hm?”

 

“When I pass, what do you want to do first?”

 

It took Quistis a moment to realize what he was talking about and at once she found herself smiling.  _ When _ I pass. There wasn't a shred of doubt in him, was there?

 

“ _Must be nice.”_

 

“Oh,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I... I don't know. I suppose it would be a little obvious if we went to my room...”

 

“I guess,” said Seifer with a slow grin. “But I like the way you think.” As Quistis laughed softly, he said, “I was actually thinking more along the lines of...a movie.”

 

“A movie?” Quistis repeated in surprise.

 

“Yeah. We'll take the bus down to Balamb, watch something in the theater, and come back talking about how awful it is.”

 

Quistis shook her head, unable to stop a small smile. “Do we have to watch an awful film?”

 

“Are there any good ones out?” Seifer asked, only a little sarcastic.

 

“There's that fantasy movie, Taciel,” she tossed out, guessing the silliness would appeal to Seifer's whimsy. To her surprise, he snorted.

 

“No.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because I guarantee you that the books are way better.”

 

Quistis stared at him. Would he ever stop surprising her?

 

“Oh what, you don't think I read?” Seifer asked, his voice light but challenging.

 

“I just never anticipated it as a favored leisure activity,” she said, seeing his expression relax. “Why do you think the books are better?”

 

“Because with a book you can get into peoples' heads and understand why they do the dumb shit they do. If you read the books and look at what Taciel's doing from outside her viewpoint, she makes no sense at all. She's going to look like a crazy dumbass on the screen.”

 

Quistis had not read any of the Taciel books. But Seifer's assessment of fiction proved shrewd once more and she couldn't help but smile. “But zombies,” said Quistis, thinking of the posters she'd seen around town. Specifically medieval zombies.

 

“But zombies,” Seifer agreed with a sigh. Quistis sensed she had won.

 

“The 8pm showing on Friday?” She suggested.

 

“Sure,” said Seifer, starting to smile despite his distaste. “I'll pick you up at your room?”

 

“Sure,” said Quistis, smiling back.

 

The elevator slowed and stopped, and Quistis and Seifer walked out like nothing had happened. The anxiety that had nearly made her cry upstairs was still present, but the strong possibility of a date was working wonders at keeping it away. In a mostly good mood despite everything, Quistis went to the Library and checked out the entire Taciel Trilogy.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: 'Taciel' is of course an allusion to the Old Kingdom Series by Garth Nix, the latest of which 'Clariel' came out not too long ago. I think Seifer would enjoy that sort of book series, though the Taciel Trilogy is not an expy of 'Sabriel' 'Lirael' 'Abhorsen' or 'Clariel'.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	24. Chapter 24

/\/\/\/\/\

21 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

 

“Will the candidates for yesterday's field exam please report to the second floor hallway,” said the announcement. Seifer, catching an early dinner with Fujin and Raijin, paused in midbite of a sandwich. As the announcement repeated, Fujin and Raijin looked at him meaningfully.

 

“Here goes,” said Seifer, setting down his food.

 

“You got this,” said Raijin, punching him lightly on the arm.

 

“PASS,” said Fujin confidently.

 

Seifer nodded abruptly, too nervous even to smile. Waiting to hear his name called always sucked and despite the fact that he'd had plenty of practice stewing in the hall, this was different. Something else other than being a SeeD was riding on it.

 

“ _Would Quistis still want to be with me if I failed?”_

 

Seifer hated how his thoughts went there first. He knew he should be thinking about how this would make it his _fifth_ failure if he didn't get in, the most of any SeeD candidate who didn't drop out or drop dead on the field. As Seifer took the elevator up and went into the hallway with the other hopefuls (eleven others in total, including Leonhart and Dincht), he could feel people turning to look at him. He gritted his teeth, biting back a snarl of challenge. Fuck these cowards. The fact that he got up and kept trying despite four tours in hell said something about _him_ and nothing about them. None of them had his guts.

 

But would they have his spot?

 

“ _I'm going to pass. I'm going to pass. I'm going to pass.”_

 

Zell was pacing up and down in the hall, white as a sheet and silent as the grave. Squall was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and his face completely devoid of expression. Two candidates were praying. The others just stood around silently or whispered among themselves. Seifer swallowed the sudden urge to vomit. He didn't recognize any of these candidates from previous tests, but that didn't matter. It would be his _fifth_ failure. No one even came close.

 

Unconsciously Seifer clutched himself, panting shallowly past the nausea and the fear that was threatening to overwhelm him. His vision seemed to black out around the edges. If he was going to fail, he didn't want to hear it here. Not where everyone could look at him and know what a fuckup he was. He almost turned and left.

 

At least Quistis wasn't in the hall to see him run.

 

“ _Though I bet she'll hear about it...”_

 

Seifer found the nearest empty patch of wall and settled against it, jamming his fist against his mouth as he tried to control his near hyperventilation. The word _failure_ kept running through his head, rushing in through the bravado and bluster that he put up to drown him in truth. _Failure_ kept roiling around him and trying to drag him down, roaring in his ears that he was a fuckup, no wonder nobody had wanted him as a kid, no wonder his birth parents had never come to look for him...

 

Seifer tried to keep his head above water by remembering how the SeeDs had smiled at hm and approved of his actions, how they'd been impressed by what he'd done. They were going to be his peers, not the dish-faced faculty that had never set foot on any sort of killing field. He was going to be a SeeD. Seifer Almasy was going to be a SeeD. He had to be. He _had_ to be.

 

_"What else am I going to be otherwise? I'll be...nothing."_

 

A poke in his side made Seifer jump almost a foot into the air. When he looked around, it was the little runner girl Selphie, looking up at him with surprised green eyes.

 

“What?” He demanded, half-furious she'd broken him out of his thoughts.

 

“You look like you're gonna throw up,” said Selphie, fishing something out of her pocket and holding it up in front of his face. It was a butterscotch. “Suck on this.”

 

Seifer stared at her for a long moment before he took the candy from her hand and unwrapped it. As he popped the sweet into his mouth, he asked her, “How come you're not scared of me?”

 

“You're not bad, you just _look_ bad,” said Selphie, making Seifer snort. “Besides, I've held your life in my hands, remember?” She made squeezing motions in the air, pantomiming the blood bag she'd held in the gunboat. “Goosh goosh.”

 

Seifer snorted again and nearly choked on the butterscotch. Selphie smiled pleasantly and skipped away.

 

Sucking on the butterscotch helped, but he'd never been the kind to just let candy melt. As Seifer ground down and turned the candy into slivers of sweetness, the roiling anxiety returned. He started to pace. When he felt another poke in his side, he knew that only Selphie could be so comfortable invading his space.

 

“What?” He asked, less irritated this time as he turned to look at her.

 

She pointed behind her. Seifer looked up and saw a yellow dish-faced faculty member looking at him. Everyone was looking at him, actually. Seifer felt the ground seemingly gape open at his feet. What was going on?

 

“You made it,” said Selphie, looking up at him.

 

“...What?” Seifer asked her.

 

“You made it,” said Zell from down the hall, raising his voice.

 

“...What?” Something had to be wrong with his hearing.

 

“Seifer,” said Squall, making Seifer turn and look at him. Blue-grey eyes met green as Squall clearly and loudly said, “You passed.”

 

And yet it still didn't seem real. As the words soaked through Seifer's stunned mind, he still felt like people were just talking at him, that they were saying words that weren't meant for him. He'd passed? He'd really passed?

 

He was a SeeD?

 

The faculty members started calling out more names but Seifer stayed rooted where he was, trying to figure out the trick. Because there had to be one. No way that he'd passed the test, not _this_ test, not after getting blown up and running out on his orders and nearly getting everyone killed by a freaking spider tank. _This_ test was the one that made a difference? _This_ one?

 

Abruptly he found himself stumbling as Squall grabbed him by the arm and started hauling him towards the elevator. Zell and Selphie were ahead, along with some other kid Seifer didn't recognize. Kid. Shit, they were all younger than he was.

 

But they had passed. Seifer knew that kids their age passed.

 

And he was only a year older.

 

It hit him in the elevator that this was actually happening, that he was actually going upstairs to get the Headmaster's blessing, that in a few minutes his life would be changed. That he would be what he'd wanted to be for years, the elite of the elite, the most powerful of warriors...

 

“ _Not a student anymore... A SeeD. An adult.”_

 

Seifer found himself grinning.

 

The elevator opened onto the third floor and this time Seifer didn't need Squall to pull him along. With two broad strides he outpaced his fellow SeeDs. Seifer was the first into the Headmaster's Office, grinning broadly as he entered and saw Cid beaming at him like he was the prodigal son coming home. Seifer felt like running up and hugging the man, a great swell of affection nearly bowling him over, but Xu was there, her mouth set in a grudging smile and Seifer restrained himself. He still remembered her immediate threat to rip his face off and there was no guarantee that she wouldn't extend that protection to the Headmaster.

 

The new SeeDs lined up in front of Cid, saluting sharply before he gestured for them to stand at ease. For a moment Cid said nothing, just smiling at everyone.

 

“Congratulations!” He said suddenly, throwing his hands out. Seifer felt his face hurting with the force of his smile. “You are now all members of SeeD. The elite mercenary force... You will now be dispatched all over the world as premier combat specialists. However... That is only one aspect of SeeD. When the time comes—”

 

A cough made Seifer glance off to the side. A faculty member was standing there, inscrutable in the red robes and yellow dish-faced headdress. Annoyance flickered over Cid's face as the faculty member turned to the new SeeDs and spoke.

 

“You are all valuable assets to Balamb Garden,” said the faculty member. “Our reputation rests solely on you. Handle your mission with care.”

 

“Yes, yes...” Cid sighed, sounding tired. But he perked up almost immediately as Xu handed him a number of white envelopes emblazoned with the seal of Balamb Garden. “Ah, and here are your rankings!”

 

He walked to Seifer first, practically glowing with happiness. As Cid placed the white envelope in Seifer's hands and clasped them around it, he leaned up to whisper in Seifer's ear.

 

“Welcome to the family, Seifer.”

 

The air seemed to rush out of him. As Cid moved on, Seifer managed to draw a shaky breath and shut his eyes, which were starting to sting. Xu cast him a startled glance before focusing her attention on the four other new SeeDs.

 

“Thus ends the inauguration ceremony,” said the faculty member as soon as Cid passed out all the envelopes. “Dismissed!”

 

“OHHHH YEEEAAAH!” Zell whooped as soon as they were out of the office. “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! YEEEEAAAAH!”

 

Selphie seized Zell's hand and the hand of the guy Seifer didn't know and swung them around, laughing as they half-skipped, half-tripped in a dizzy circle. Squall rolled his eyes and kept walking towards the elevator.

 

“Hey,” said Seifer to the brunet boy. Brunet SeeD.

 

“What?” Squall asked over his shoulder.

 

“I'm still gonna kick your ass.”

 

Squall just looked at him for a moment. Then his mouth quirked up in a small, rare smile and Squall said, “Whatever.”

 

They took the elevator down to the first floor, Selphie and Zell chattering excitedly enough for all of them. As they exited the elevator, Seifer jerked. What looked like the entire student population of the Garden was gathered on the main floor, looking up at them. Selphie and Zell immediately fell quiet, stunned by the number of people.

 

Thunderous clapping made everyone jump and Seifer swung his head to see Raijin in the crowd, grinning fit to have his face fall off and slapping his hands together like he was one of those demented toy monkeys. Next to him, Fujin also started clapping, her face flushed with excitement.

 

And then all of a sudden, everyone was clapping. Seifer laughed aloud, joy exploding out of him. When he took a breath, an older student he didn't recognize was coming up to him. There were tears in her eyes.

 

“You made it,” she told him, her voice shaking. “You...made it.”

 

“Do I know you?” Seifer asked, confused. She shook her head.

 

“I've taken the test twice,” she said, her voice trembling. As she dashed the tears from her eyes, she said, “I have been so scared to try again, in case I failed. I was going to... But you...”

 

Suddenly she ran up and hugged Seifer hard, making him yelp.

 

“Thank you,” she sobbed. “Thank you so much! Thank you for never giving up, thank you!”

 

“What the hell?” Seifer demanded, but as he looked around, he realized that at least a third of the people gathered around the elevator were people he recognized. Failed candidates, just like he'd been.

 

And they were all looking at him like he was their last hope.

 

Seifer stared at Fujin and Raijin, who only grinned at him. He looked at them utterly bewildered and Fujin and Raijin laughed at his obliviousness. Today, everyone was seeing Seifer the way _they_ saw him.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: We never know how many tests Seifer has failed. If we assume they happen once a year and you can take them when you turn 15, then he's failed at least 3. I upped the number because of the unpredictable nature of field tests, but still--lotta failures. It's gotta wear on a guy.

/\/\/\/\/\


	25. Chapter 25

/\/\/\/\/\

22 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

“ _Stupid anatomy,”_ thought Quistis, studying what was on the screen versus what the inappropriate position she'd put her figure models in. She was experimenting with new angles and knew what she wanted things to look like, but there was a disconnect between her brain and her hand that resulted in things looking very strange. Mostly it was proportions getting away from her, but every now and then she would take a step back and realize that something else made no sense. It made her just annoyed enough to keep her mind off that very strange debriefing, which still made her stomach flutter unpleasantly a day later. Grumbling, Quistis picked up her models and bent the little wooden limbs into a new inappropriate configuration. She had done this so many times that she no longer blushed with her end results.

 

However, a knock on the door made her drop the dolls in shock and then stick them into a drawer. Hitting a key replaced her art desktop with one that was covered in official-looking documents and after stashing her tablet in the keyboard tray, Quistis got up and answered the door. The whole process took less than three seconds, which she felt a little proud of until she opened the door and saw a cloaked, red-robed faculty member standing in front of her.

 

Holding a red envelope with the seal of Balamb Garden.

 

Numbly Quistis took the envelope and the faculty member walked off. All the anxiety she had been trying to push away for the past twenty-four hours was back in full force, but her body locked up in the face of the culmination of it. She knew instinctively that she did not want to see what was in this envelope.

 

“ _The only question is, how bad is it?”_

 

There was only one way to find out, but Quistis made herself take a deep breath and then brew a cup of tea to calm herself. Sitting down in her favorite reading chair, Quistis took a deep drink of hot lemon tea and then decisively tore the end of the envelope open. There was a single sheet of white paper inside, crisp and slightly dented in the way that typewritten notices were. She hadn't been aware the Garden still had typewriters. Unwilling to hyperventilate, Quistis instead held her breath as she opened the paper.

 

_Trepe, Quistis SeeD no 0214_

 

_It is our regret to inform you that your contract as Instructor of Procedure and Protocol will not be extended for the upcoming academic year. Effective 12 June you are to return to the field. You are permitted to stay in faculty quarters until there is an available SeeD room in the dormitories._

 

_Headmaster Cid Kramer_

_Assistant Headmaster Xu Xiong_

_Dean of Students Zama_

 

And that was it.

 

That...was it.

 

It felt masochistic to keep staring at the paper, so Quistis folded it up and stuck it back in its envelope. That was the proper thing to do. Then she hurled the envelope away, but it flipped in the air and plopped to the floor like a drop of blood in the middle of her room. There was no way to not look at it.

 

“ _You're not good enough for them. You're a failure.”_

 

Quistis pressed her hands to her mouth and then her eyes as tears started to seep out. Her throat went so tight with trying not to cry that it felt like it was splintering. She bent over and pushed her head to her knees, a thin keen escaping her gritted teeth.

 

“ _What did I do wrong?”_

 

Every question she'd been asked and every response she'd given started whirling around in her head like a tornado. Had it just been one question she'd failed? Had it been many? Had she just put the last nail in her coffin with that debriefing? Had they been thinking about this long?

 

Had they made a mistake to begin with?

 

“ _What if I was always a horrible Instructor and nobody ever told me?”_

 

Now her mind whirled back to all the times she'd ever lost control in her classroom, either by snapping or just failing to shut things down. Seifer's face popped up first, of course; talking in her class, interjecting useless trivia, outright arguing with her on points of protocol that had been established for years. And then there was the fighting in class and outside in the hallway, usually with Squall. An ugly thought occurred to her; had she lost her job because of Seifer?

 

“ _Did someone think I couldn't be a good Instructor because I couldn't make him settle down?”_

 

But Seifer was only a pain every now and then, maybe once a month. And he wasn't the only annoying student. There was Carla, who never turned in her work on time and always had an excuse. Edion had made it clear more than once that he was only there because his parents were ex-mercenaries and wanted him to be in the life since he was (according to them) too dumb for an honest job. And much to the irritation of the Trepies in her class, there was a 19-year-old student named Lynn who openly resented Quistis for her position and her age and was borderline rude to her with _every_ interaction, which Seifer had never been.

 

“ _I was always sinking and never knew it.”_

 

There was a knock on her door. Quistis ignored it because she knew things could get worse and she didn't want anyone to see her like this. Especially not Xu or Seifer. The knocking continued, becoming louder and more insistent, but Quistis kept her head down and waited, holding her breath. Eventually she heard a shuffle and then footsteps walking away.

 

“ _Great. Now I'm a coward too.”_

 

She sighed shakily. After a minute Quistis lifted her head, rubbed the tears from her eyes, and looked at the door. There was a piece of paper sticking out from underneath it with semi-familiar handwriting. Quistis got up to take a look at what it was, but fingers suddenly appeared underneath the crack and pulled the paper out. Quistis frowned. Crossing the room quickly, she opened the door and looked up and down the hall. There was a familiar student back heading toward the elevator.

 

“Brount!” She called, making the student jump. He turned around stuffing something into his pocket, but she had already seen the flash of white in his hand. Alarm bells went off in her head. “Brount, come here.”

 

“Uhh...” The Trepie looked uncomfortable, a blush making his dark brown skin turn ruddy and luminous. “I'm sorry, Instructor. I'm late for a meeting with the Headmaster.”

 

“I'll explain the circumstances,” said Quistis, coming out of her room. “Give me that paper.”

 

Brount flushed guiltily. “W-what—”

 

“I'm in a _very_ bad mood, Brount. Give me that paper.”

 

He was a significant distance down the hall, but Brount slunk back, his head hanging lower with every step he took. Quistis held her hand out expectantly, ill temper making her impatient. It seemed to take forever before Brount reached her and put the paper in her hand. As she'd half-suspected, the paper was from Seifer.

 

_I made it. See you tonight and tomorrow. SA_

 

Despite everything Quistis's lips twitched. She briskly folded it up and stuck it in her pocket, pinning Brount with a glare. Immediately he began to babble.

 

“I thought he was stalking you or leaving you filthy drawings, I only did it because—”

 

“Stop,” she said sharply, her eyes narrowing. “What do you mean 'filthy drawings'?”

 

Was that ever going to stop haunting her? Was she ever going to be allowed to do something impulsive?

 

“I... I heard Leonhart and Almasy talking about it in the hall,” said Brount, sweating. “Instructor, if Almasy's been bothering you—”

 

“I'm more than capable of handling Almasy myself!” Quistis half-shouted, her temper flaring. “Or doesn't anybody think I'm capable anymore?”

 

Brount cringed. Quistis was dimly aware that her voice had bounced down the hallway, to all the other faculty rooms. She heard a door shut. Mortification fought for space on her face but she was too angry to look embarrassed.

 

“Go to your meeting,” Quistis said to Brount, gesturing impatiently. “And I'll have a talk with Almasy myself.” As Brount looked pained, she glared at him fiercely. “Was there something else?”

 

“Are... Are you sure you should talk to him alone?” Brount blurted out.

 

It felt like fire was about to come out of her eyes. “And why would I not?”

 

“B-because if he's... You know..." Brount fidgeted, looking wretched. "Fixated on you... Then you might not be safe.”

 

It was like something in her head snapped but instead of screaming, Quistis took a deep breath. And then another. And then because she was _furious,_ Quistis took off her glasses and polished them on her jacket until they shone.

 

“My safety is not your concern,” she said, putting her glasses back on. “My business is also not your concern. And private correspondence, whatever it contains, is definitely not your concern either. Go, Brount.”

 

“Instructor—”

 

“I said _go._ ”

 

“I'm in love with you!” Brount blurted out. Normally Quistis would have been stunned or embarrassed, but right now he had said the worst possible thing. She had to grit her teeth against the cruel temper that wanted to explode out of her.

 

“But I am not in love with you,” she said, her voice coldly furious. And because she didn't trust herself not to slap him, Quistis turned on her heel and left.

 

Once in her room, Quistis started to pace. It wasn't fair to Brount to get so angry at him, but he was there and the fact that he knew things... She started to wonder if he'd run his mouth to the other Trepies and if somehow that had gotten to Zama or Cid. Xu would never tell on her, she knew that, but men could be strange. And more importantly, if _those_ men in charge of her career thought she was doing something inappropriate...

 

“ _Maybe I did lose my job because of Seifer.”_

 

She needed to talk to Xu. No, not Xu; Xu was a friend and would probably hold back the details to spare her feelings. And Cid was too nice. Quistis took a deep breath, straightened her appearance, and went in search of Zama. The Dean of Students was in his rooms when she knocked, but did not hesitate to let her in.

 

Quistis had never seen Zama with his headdress off and her suspicions that he was nonhuman were confirmed; preternaturally tall and pale, there was a strange waxiness to his yellow-toned skin that seemed to smush all his features together. He was still wearing his faculty robes.

 

“I thought you might want to speak to me,” he said, his voice sounding...well, not friendly, but definitely more approachable. “Tea?”

 

“No thank you,” said Quistis, trying not to glare up at him. He seemed to be seven feet tall.

 

“Very well. Have a seat.” He gestured at a circular couch in his room, which was even bigger than hers. Quistis took a seat and Zama sat opposite her, a circular table between them. “You are here about your assessment.”

 

“I am.”

 

“It was not unfair,” said Zama, making Quistis bristle. “And it was not arrived at lightly. You are a brilliant young SeeD, Quistis. But your youth and your inexperience in handling classrooms does you ill. At this time, you do not currently possess the leadership qualities that we require from our Instructors.”

 

“May I ask for specific examples of... Not leading as I should?”

 

“You logged over thirty incident reports over the past year,” said Zama, making Quistis cringe even in her anger; she hadn't thought there were that many. “Altercations, insubordination, blatant disrespect. And you assigned more detentions than three other Instructors combined. Clearly you do not have a handle on how to effectively discipline your classroom.”

 

There it was. She couldn't control her classroom. Nothing specifically to do with Seifer at all. It was a relief but still disappointing in a way. Quistis hung her head. “I... I had no idea.”

 

“Because you don't talk to your colleagues,” said Zama, making Quistis flinch. “Because you assumed you knew how to do everything already.”

 

“No!”

 

“Then what was it? Did you think that being an Instructor was easy?” Zama leaned forward on his knees. “Why did you originally apply?”

 

“It...It seemed like the right thing to do,” Quistis stammered, shocked by the rapid-fire queries. “Once you have two years of experience, you can become an Instructor and—”

 

“You lack the ability to lead others and also yourself,” said Zama, making Quistis flush. “You may reapply next year, but I warn you; if you do not display the necessary qualifications, you will not be accepted regardless of your prior experience.”

 

Quistis nodded, feeling slightly numb. It wasn't like Zama was being especially hard on her or anything; standards had to be maintained.

 

And in her case, reached.

 

It still hurt, but Quistis took a deep breath and felt...well, not better, but at least she had some clarity. She lifted her head. “I was afraid I'd lost the position because of other reasons.”

 

“There were other reasons.”

 

Oh Hyne. Quistis looked at Zama apprehensively, trying not to visibly fret. “And may I ask what those reasons were?”

 

Zama folded his exceptionally long-fingered hands in his lap. “Do you know why you were originally made an Instructor, Quistis?”

 

“I assumed it was because of my application,” said Quistis cautiously, now not sure what to expect.

 

“That is true. You are smart. But we feared for your life.”

 

“...what?”

 

“Prior to your Instructorship, you were dispatched on sixty missions, fifty-two of which were deemed successful,” said Zama, making Quistis's head reel a bit; she hadn't thought there were so many. “And your psychological evaluations revealed that the pace you chose and the particular assignments you completed were taking a toll on your mental well-being. We could not lose you to a psychotic break. So when you applied to become an Instructor, we accepted.”

 

Quistis's hands tightened into rock-hard fists. “So... It wasn't because I was qualified...”

 

“You are qualified.”

 

“But because you wanted to _protect_ me?”

 

“We wanted you to slow down,” said Zama, his voice sounding more compassionate. “But we erred. Instead of relaxing, you stagnated. You have learned nothing new this year and most importantly, have not made friends.”

 

“I'm confused,” Quistis interrupted. “During the debriefing, you asked if I was trying to make friends by bribing my students with grades.”

 

“You would not be the first to do so,” said Zama, which made Quistis want to shout; he seemed to be missing the point. “However, that would at least indicate that you are interested in forming social bonds and _that_ is why we pulled you from the field. Most SeeDs know _of_ you, but the ones who know you personally are...few.”

 

“That was—Are you penalizing me for not _networking?_ I had things—”

 

“We are aware of the various extenuating circumstances,” said Zama over her increasingly shrill objections. “However, we also wondered if you deliberately seek to be alone.”

 

“What's wrong with being alone?!” Quistis demanded.

 

“Nothing, as long as it is your natural inclination. But it is not.”

 

Quistis was so angry she was shaking. How _dare_ these people? Zama, Cid, even Xu, making decisions for the woman they _thought_ she should be? Quistis remembered every dead SeeD who'd ever gone out with her; it was just a hazard of the job. And now were those deaths being used against her? And who did they think they were, telling her what her 'natural inclincations' were?

 

“ _I'm_ fine _with being alone. I_ like _being alone. I...”_

 

“Quistis.”

 

Quistis lifted her head to look into Zama's dark, almost black eyes. He was leaning forward on his knees, hands still knitted together.

 

“Please understand,” said Zama. “We did not do this _to_ you. We did it _for_ you.”

 

...he dared? He DARED?

 

“I can do...things...perfectly fine for myself,” said Quistis, her voice a shaking whisper.

 

“Not everything.”

 

Quistis stood up abruptly. She had to leave. This was far worse than being told that she was a bad teacher or that she'd wasted money or that she was just too young. She was being fired from her Instructorship because...

 

...because she was herself.

 

How was she supposed to do anything about that?

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Reviews are greatly appreciated :D Kudos are nice, but reviews are better.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	26. Chapter 26

/\/\/\/\/\

23 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

“Nice!” Raijin whistled as he and Fujin stepped into Seifer's brand new room. “No more roommate!”

 

“I like it,” said Seifer, grinning. He was lying on the bed with his hands folded behind his head, legs crossed at the ankle. Staff had moved his things over sometime during the inauguration ceremony, so there was nothing to do but relax in the new, much bigger space. There was actually room for all of them to hang out at the same time.

 

“Wanna know what my favorite part is?” He asked them.

 

“WHAT?” Fujin cocked her head.

 

Seifer pointed behind her. When she and Raijin turned to look, they started laughing at the sight of a brand new, fresh-pressed SeeD uniform hanging on the wall.

 

“Looks good!” Raijin said, grinning.

 

“BETTER ON,” said Fujin, clapping her hands.

 

“You think?” Seifer asked. “The ball isn't until tomorrow.”

 

“PUT IT ON!”

 

Seifer laughed and swung off the bed. As he changed, Raijin leaned against the desk and Fujin flopped onto the bed, bouncing experimentally on the mattress.

 

“COMFY,” she declared, squishing the pillow in her hands.

 

“And a lot bigger than a student bed, too,” said Raijin. Waggling his eyebrows at Seifer, he said, “Perfect for your _girlfriend_ to be over, eh?”

 

“Maybe,” said Seifer, tossing his coat and shirt over the desk chair. He looked at them over his shoulder. “So... You know.”

 

“Know what?”

 

“Who she is, dumbass.”

 

Raijin and Fujin looked at each other. “Well...” said Raijin hesitantly. “I mean, I think. But it's a big deal, ya know? I mean, no wonder you didn't tell us...”

 

“I wanted to,” said Seifer, taking his uniform off the wall. _His_ uniform. As he slid the garment bag off and touched the fabric, a shiver went over his skin. This was it. This was real. And on a purely practical note, he could tell that it would definitely fit better than his student uniform. Seifer unbuttoned both the uniform jacket and the dress shirt inside, saying, “I just couldn't figure out how to say it.”

 

“WEIRD.”

 

“Yeah,” said Raijin. “I mean...” He grinned lopsidedly. “You two do make a funny-looking couple.”

 

“What?” Seifer demanded, unexpectedly stung. “Why?”

 

“Because she's all, you know...”

 

“PROPER.”

 

“And you're not.”

 

Seifer couldn't argue with that. Grumbling, he set the uniform pieces down on the bed and took off his belt, saying, “Well, that is gonna change.”

 

“What, you're gonna be _proper?”_ Raijin snickered.

 

“Nah. She's _not.”_ Seifer grinned. “Hyne, I can't wait to see people's faces. I'm gonna dance with her and then kiss her in front of everyone. It's going to be great.”

 

Raijin and Fujin laughed. “PICTURE.”

 

“I'll try.” Seifer changed clothes, saying, “I wish you two were with me.”

 

“SOON,” said Fujin, Raijin nodding along.

 

As soon as Seifer slid on the dress shirt, his skin seemed to prickle as an automatic sense of  _quality_ washed over him. Putting on the pants and the jacket felt like putting on armor, if armor could be light and luxurious. Even fastening the belts felt like getting ready for battle and Seifer finally understood why some SeeDs preferred their uniforms even when they had a choice of what they wanted. Everything about the uniform felt good. And not just good... But right.

 

There was a full-length mirror by the door. When Seifer turned, a tough, scarred professional looked out at him. Fujin and Raijin peeked over his shoulders, distracting him before his eyes could start to burn again.

 

“NICE,” said Fujin, patting him on the shoulder.

 

“There's gonna be some panties dropping tomorrow night,” said Raijin, patting his other shoulder. Seifer laughed as Fujin punched Raijin in the delt. “Ow! What the—oh. Okay, well maybe just the one pair. The one that counts. So you guys, uh... Serious, then?”

 

“I don't know,” said Seifer. As Fujin and Raijin blinked at him, he said, “Honestly? I didn't think past this point.”

 

“What point?”

 

“The 'she doesn't get fired if we're seen in public together' point.” As Seifer straightened his cuffs, he said, “Did you guys like Rinoa?”

 

“Yeah,” said Raijin emphatically. Fujin nodded.

 

“Do you think you guys will like... Her?”

 

“Quistis?” Fujin said gently. Seifer nodded, a surge of nerves going through him. Suddenly his relationship with her seemed real in a way that it hadn't been before, now that her name was out in the open with his two best friends. His only friends.

 

“I don't know,” said Raijin honestly. “We haven't hung out with her. It's... Weird, ya know? I mean... We _could,_ but she's an Instructor, ya know? And we're still...”

 

“I know.” Seifer dropped his hands to his sides, his gaze falling to the floor. “I know this is what I wanted, but...”

 

“Man, don't think about it so much,” said Raijin, making Seifer turn around. “Hey. Hey. You know what?”

 

“What?”

 

“That thing you always wanted to do...?”

 

“What thing?”

 

Fujin and Raijin both groaned. “I can't believe you forgot!” Raijin exclaimed. “You always said that the FIRST thing you'd do when you were a SeeD was—”

 

“Oh!” Seifer exclaimed. Then he burst out laughing. “Yeah. Let's do it!”

 

“CAMERA!” Fujin shouted, so excited that her ruby eye was shining.

 

“Wait I gotta get the music—” Raijin yelled.

 

“Hold on, I need to find a draw point—wait.” Seifer grabbed Hyperion first. They boiled out of his room and ran in different directions, brimming with purpose. Seifer ran up and down the halls of the SeeD dormitory until he saw an open door with a familiar gunblade case inside. “LEONHART!”

 

“What?”

 

Seifer skidded to a stop in front of Squall's door, making the brunet SeeD do a double take as he was rearranging his room.

 

“How are you on magic again?” Seifer demanded.

 

“...what?” 

 

“How are you on magic? This is important!”

 

Squall looked bewildered but recited, “43 Blizzard, 29 Thunder, 25 Fire—”

 

“Fire! Yes!” Seifer held his hand out. “I need your fire spells.”

 

“Why?” Squall asked warily.

 

“Give me your fire spells and I will let you see. I promise I will pay you back.”

 

“...how do you pay back—”

 

“I'll give you some fucking Wizard Stones! Come on!”

 

“Fine!” Squall snapped back, throwing his stuff down and getting to his feet. “How many do you need?”

 

“All of them.”

 

Squall studied him for what seemed like forever, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “...You aren't going to shoot me in the face again, are you?”

 

“No! I swear this has nothing to do with you.” Seifer made an impatient grabbing gesture. “Come on...”

 

“Fine.” Squall walked over to him and clasped his hand. Para-magic flowed from Squall's body to Seifer's in a wave of shimmering blue-pink magic and Seifer grinned as he felt the energy transfer.

 

“Alright, now watch this,” he said, dragging Squall out of his room. Squall managed to flick the lock and shut the door just in time.

 

Fujin and Raijin had already cleared the hallway down to the dormitories, though their obvious excitement had drawn a small crowd. Fujin lay down on the ground with the camcorder on her shoulder while Raijin fiddled with a boombox. Seifer dragged Squall down the steps and pushed him off to the side, grinning broadly.

 

“Stand there and be amazed,” he said as the younger SeeD straightened his clothes with a disgruntled air. To his friends, Seifer shouted, “Ready!”

 

“Ready!” Raijin shouted back.

 

“READY!” Fujin shouted. “THREE! TWO! ONE!”

 

Seifer saw the red light on the camcorder turn on. That same second, Raijin hit the music and the thundering crack of an electric guitar solo filled the air. Seifer concentrated hard, his eyes on the stripe of purplish stone laid along the center of the hallway. At the cue he hurled ice magic down the hall and an OOOH went up from the assembled watchers as a sheet of ice three inches thick and smooth as glass appeared down the center of the walkway. Fujin gave Seifer a thumbs-up.

 

“What.” Squall said flatly.

 

“Shaddup,” Seifer said, concentrating on the next part. Taking a running start down the stairs, Seifer jumped and landed on the ice, the slick heels of his new boots sliding perfectly on the surface. As he slid, Seifer dragged lightning over Hyperion and whirled the gunblade at his side, creating a spinning disc of lightning magic that was almost too brilliant to look at. At Fujin's second thumbs-up, Seifer jumped and landed in front of the camera, dismissing the lightning magic and taking a moment to gather the Fire spells he'd borrowed from Squall. When he straightened, Seifer held Hyperion over his head and the gunblade burst into flames.

 

“SUCK IIIT!” Seifer roared to everyone who'd ever doubted him, past and present. Unbeknownst to him in the background of the film, Squall facepalmed.

 

An enraged adult voice burst over the scene. “What is going on?!”

 

“Oh shit,” Raijin blurted, going pale. “Faculty!”

 

The assembled watchers scattered, but not before Raijin and Fujin switched off their respective devices and Seifer hastily dismissed the fire and the ice. They vaulted over the sides of the hall and hid in the bushes, stifling their laughter as the enraged faculty member ran down the hall and yelped, sliding on the rapidly vanishing magic.

 

“Who put this ice all over the hall?!” The faculty member demanded, spinning around fruitlessly in search of witnesses. Seifer bit down on his fist and nearly blacked out from holding his breath before the faculty member gave up with a swear and went back into the Garden proper. Seifer counted to ten after that, and when he cautiously poked his head out of the bushes, he saw Fujin and Raijin also emerging like timid deer. They looked around to make sure no one was there.

 

“Clear?” Seifer whispered.

 

“Clear,” Fujin whispered back. Raijin nodded from his vantage point.

 

And then they all collapsed, laughing so hard that tears spilled from their eyes and oxygen was a fever dream.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: I think this may have actually been one of the funniest things I've ever written, the other being 'The Great Naked Sephiroth' chapter of my megafic 'Put Your Lights On'. Which I will link here. I'm actually curious to see if my humor has advanced at all in 11 years, so let me know on either forum what you think, ok? https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2588915/69/Put-Your-Lights-On

I also think that Garden students would not be particularly body-shy since they live in close quarters, hence why Seifer just strips down in front of Fujin and Raijin with no particular weirdness. I may or may not be drawing heavily on my experience of high school teams like band and theatre.

/\/\/\/\/\


	27. Chapter 27

/\/\/\/\/\

24 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

Xu was drinking when she heard a knock on her door. Cringing, she called out, “Who's there?”

 

“It's Quistis.”

 

Oh no. Nooo. Xu groaned and levered herself out of her chair, all but slinking to the door. She felt like a traitor even though she had argued stridently against Quistis's dismissal. But as she opened the door, her drunken mind registered that Quistis did not sound nearly as devastated as Xu had feared.

 

And she looked...okay.

 

“Hi,” said Quistis, a little smile on her face.

 

“Hi,” said Xu, and Quistis drew back.

 

“What are you drinking?” She asked, half-covering her nose ad mouth.

 

“Bit of this, bit of that...” Xu took another sip from her glass. “Look, for what it's worth, I _really_ didn't—”

 

“It's okay.”

 

“...what?”

 

Quistis sighed and smiled a little bit less hesitantly. “I talked to Zama. I understand the reasoning, even if... Well. I'll just be out in the field for a while and when I feel like it, I'll reapply.”

 

“...Yeah,” said Xu, surprised and gratified. “Because really, there's nothing stopping you. We'd all love to have you back.”

 

“That's good,” said Quistis, now smiling openly. As Xu sighed in relief, Quistis said, “Actually, I need your help.”

 

“My help? Why?”

 

“Well...” Quistis blushed a bit. “You know a lot more about dresses and fashion than I do, so...”

 

“...yeah?”

 

“Could you go shopping with me? I want to wear a really pretty dress for the ball tomorrow.”

 

“...Ohhh,” said Xu knowingly, watching as Quistis's blush deepened. “Because he passed?”

 

“Sort of.” Quistis sighed. “I also think that wearing a pretty dress might lift my spirits a little. I'm still a SeeD and I'll still get to go to the Ball, so I might as well look good.”

 

“Yeah? True enough,” said Xu. “Actually, come here. I got this dress that'll probably fit you, but I'll never wear it.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because it shows off my back and there's nothing but scar tissue back there. You, on the other hand, are young and lovely and most importantly, don't look like someone chucked you into a garbage disposal.” As Quistis laughed, Xu gestured for her to come inside. She set her drink down on her desk as they went to her large closet. 

 

“Goodness,” exclaimed Quistis as Xu opened her wardrobe. “You certainly have a lot of dresses!”

 

“It's a problem,” said Xu amiably. She flipped through her long gowns for a second before whipping one of them off the hanger. It was a floor-length gown that was heavy with antique gold sequins on a mesh backing, suspended over a nude liner that made it look like the embellishments were pasted on one's skin. “Here! Try this.”

 

“I can't wear this!” Quistis exclaimed, nevertheless taking the gown. “It'll look like I'm naked!”

 

“I call it my Freakum Dress,” said Xu with a grin. “Or I _would_ , if the backing actually matched my skin color. It looked different in the store. Try it on.”

 

“No!”

 

“You don't have to buy it off me if you try it on. Plus, look!” Xu picked up a length of the sequin-studded material and flapped it, saying, “Sleeves!”

 

Quistis wavered. Xu knew that the younger woman was very self-conscious about the whip scars covering her arms, which was why even though she hadn't hit herself in years Quistis still wore full gauntlets.

 

“Try it on,” Xu sang, pushing Quistis toward the bathroom. “Try it on!”

 

“Okay, okay...” Quistis laughed and went to change. Xu stood by the door grinning, bursting into laughter when Quistis exclaimed, “Where is the back to this dress?”

 

“It doesn't have one, it's a keyhole!”

 

“Maybe for multiple keys!” Nevertheless Quistis came out in a few minutes and Xu grinned, clapping excitedly. “Well?”

 

“Ahhh, it fits you like a glove! I'm so glad we wear similar sizes. What do you think?”

 

Quistis looked at her arms, which were covered from the backs of her hands all the way up to her shoulders in sequins of varying sizes that flashed like light off a brook. The netting they were sewed to was silky smooth and felt almost like wearing nothing; when Quistis tilted her arms, she saw not a single one of the hundred-plus scars she'd acquired while mastering the chain whip. The dress itself fit like a second skin but slid sensuously over her own, making Quistis more aware of her body than she had been in a while. Fortunately it did not fit so well that Quistis worried about tightening her stomach or lifting her chest to make a better line, though she did consciously stand up straighter.

 

“I think I like it—”

 

“Whoo!”

 

“But don't you think it's a bit much?”

 

“Much!” Xu exclaimed. She pushed Quistis back into the bathroom, where the full length mirror was. “Have you looked at yourself?”

 

“Of course I did,” Quistis protested, but as Xu forced her to look at her reflection again, Quistis had to admit that she looked rather glamorous. Like some sort of starlet or fairy-tale princess instead of a professional mercenary that could kill someone with her bare hands in ten different ways. It made her uncomfortable.

 

“Isn't there anything that's a little less naked-looking?” Quistis asked, because even though the dress had a wide, shallow neckline and completely covered her chest, the sequins were selectively less dense in certain areas and gave an impression of sensuality that made Quistis blush a bit. It was one thing to dispassionately admit that her looks were within the cultural standards for attractiveness, but quite another to realize she was actually _pretty._

 

“Sure,” said Xu. “It's called your uniform.” As Quistis made a noise of annoyance at her, Xu said, “Come on! Think about Seifer's face when he sees you in this. It will fall off. It'll be amazing. OH! I'll take a picture.”

 

“You are very enthusiastic about this,” Quistis couldn't help but laugh.

 

“Hey, I can't exactly stop you,” Xu said reasonably. “So I'll just cheer you on. I want you to be happy.”

 

“Thank you...” Quistis looked at Xu in the reflection of the mirror. The older woman's face was flushed with alcohol haze but also guilt and some apprehensive hope. Quistis sighed. “Xu, I'm not angry with you.”

 

“What?”

 

“And the dress is wonderful. Can I borrow it?”

 

Sunlight broke over Xu's face, making Quistis laugh again. “Yes! You know what, keep it. It doesn't match my skintone anyway and it'll free up space for a new shiny. Whoo! OH! Shoes. We must find you shoes. Hold on.”

 

“Are you planning to open your own store?” Quistis demanded as Xu ran out of the bathroom.

 

“If I live long enough! Try these on!”

 

Several hours later, Quistis was finally able to go back to her own room. When she opened the door, there was another note from Seifer on the floor and she picked it up with a vague twinge of guilt.

 

_See you at the ball. SA_

 

There was a picture paperclipped to the note and Quistis had to laugh when she saw it was one of him, Fujin, and Raijin somehow on the top of the Garden, all grinning at the camera like fools while Raijin held it at arm's length. Judging from the lighting, they'd taken it about an hour ago. Seifer was wearing his SeeD uniform, which truthfully was a bit too black for his fair skin, but Quistis smiled at the sight of him in it anyway. He looked so happy.

 

“ _Well, Seifer goes up and I go down. I suppose that's the way of the world.”_

 

She tapped the photo against her lips. Was it too late to find Seifer? Probably. She wasn't sure what she would do with him anyway or how to explain her presence, but the urge to find him and just be around him right now was undeniable. And also made Quistis feel a little stupid, because she wasn't the sort who ran after people to comfort her; she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. So instead of hunting down the man who considered himself her boyfriend, Quistis drew another hot bath and started reading the Taciel Trilogy.

 

Knowing as little about Seifer as she did, Quistis nevertheless saw immediately why the books had fascinated him so. The setting was sparsely described and yet evocative of an era of castles and knights, of sorceresses in white dresses who brought down the moon and sun with a wish. The titular heroine was a sorceress who eschewed the tradition of having a knight and had run off to fight on her own, wanting nothing more than to shed the heavy mantle of her foremothers and specifically their stance of neutrality in times of war. Quistis almost laughed when in the first five chapters, Taciel encountered an aggravating man who was her equal in swordplay and, when insulted, gave as good as he got.

 

“ _I smell an eventual romance,”_ she thought, flipping the page. _“How predictable. The one who makes the protagonist the angriest is the one she will end up loving, despite the fact that there's already chemistry between her and her handmaiden/squire..."  
_

 

Tropes aside, the writing was compelling and the plot interesting enough that Quistis kept reading until the bathwater grew cold. Even as a part of her brain never stopped quipping at story elements, Quistis nevertheless drained the bath and dried herself off one-handed, and then even pulled on her pajamas while she flipped the pages of the book with a practiced wriggling of her fingers. Being a speed-reader, it was just barely before midnight when Quistis finished the first book of the trilogy, which ended with Taciel and Jon uncovering a mausoleum filled with the undead knights of a sorceress who tortured and ate her sisters for their power and their lives. Quistis shivered at the characters' peril.

 

 _"I should stop here... It's late..."_ Nevertheless she found herself picking up the second book in the series before shutting off all lights but one and then curling into her covers. _"Maybe just a few more chapters. Then I can have a real discussion with Seifer about the movie we're seeing on Friday..."_

 

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: As much as I love posting at this breakneck pace, I do also have art for this fic that I can't produce fast enough. I would really love to draw Quistis and Seifer at the ball, but two-subject compositions are the dickens. In any case, the art tumblr has been updated with the inspiration for the gold dress if you care to look. https://klepto-maniac0.tumblr.com

 

/\/\/\


	28. Chapter 28

/\/\/\/\/\

25 February 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

The next evening Seifer debated picking up Quistis at her room, but the fact that he hadn't seen her the night before made him wonder if she was pulling back, or at the very least wasn't ready to be seen together yet. He could understand that. The thought of walking into the Graduation Ball with Quistis on his arm sent butterflies through his stomach, but walking in with Instructor Trepe was something else entirely. As Seifer showered, shaved, and otherwise made himself presentable, he began constructing a plausible scenario for when they would first meet.

 

“ _Instructor. You look wonderful.”_

 

“ _Thank you, Seifer. You look quite handsome yourself. Congratulations on becoming SeeD.”_

 

“ _It's all due to your guidance. May I have this dance?”_

 

“ _You may.”_

 

And then there would be no question in anyone's minds when they took the bus down to Balamb on Friday to watch a movie. Perfect.

 

Zell, Selphie, and the new guy (what the hell was his name) were all standing around chatting in the dormitory hall when Seifer came out and to his surprise, Selphie waved enthusiastically.

 

“Heyyy, squad captain!” She ran up to him and held her hand up. It took Seifer a moment to realize what she wanted, but she pretended like she hadn't noticed the lapse when he high-fived her. “Look at us! You look good.”

 

“You look good too,” said Seifer generously. To Zell he said, “You still look like a chicken.”

 

“But you're a bigger cock,” Zell shot back immediately. Seifer's brows rose.

 

“I am,” he said, making Zell's mouth twist at the failed insult. “And I have.” Seifer laughed as Zell sputtered.

 

Footsteps behind Seifer made him glance back and he saw Squall coming down the steps, tugging at the bottom of his uniform. Seifer saw the problem immediately.

 

“You buttoned it wrong,” he told Squall.

 

“What?”

 

“Your shirt. That's why the jacket isn't lying down.”

 

“What?”

 

He was hopeless. Seifer went to the younger boy and briskly undid the buttons on his jacket, ignoring the nameless guy's snickers. For his part Squall stood still and let him, though he did look at Seifer with one brow raised.

 

“There.” Seifer pointed out the offset button, making Squall mutter and turn away to fix his appearance. “How could you miss that? Is this the first time you put that on?”

 

“Shut up. I wasn't running around like you.”

 

“Well you should have,” said Seifer. “It was awesome.”

 

“Oh yeah, I heard about the ice slide in the hallway,” said Zell, grinning. “And the videotaping.”

 

“Good times,” said Seifer with a grin of his own.

 

The five of them chatted about inconsequentials as they walked down to the ball, with the nameless guy (his name turned out to be Nida) carrying most of the conversation with Selphie and Zell. Seifer and Squall chimed in occasionally. The ballroom was in an external structure that had to be reached through the cafeteria and as they exited to the open hallway that led there, Selphie let out a loud “OOOOH!” of appreciation.

 

“That's SO much prettier than Trabia's!” She exclaimed, running ahead. Seifer walked toward the iron-and-glass ballroom with a smile and happiness speeding his steps. How many times had he sat on the roof of the Garden with Fujin and Raijin, drinking illegal alcohol and declaring that one day he'd be in there instead of watching from the outside? For a moment he felt the absence of his two friends as keenly as missing his arms.

 

“ _One day. One day soon.”_

 

The doors to the ballroom were open and music played by a real orchestra streamed out. A hundred golden lanterns warmed the inside of the ballroom and made the Estharian glass windows shimmer with faint rainbows. There was a short flight of steps down to the ballroom proper and while Selphie and Zell walked ahead, Seifer took a moment to pause at the top of the steps and look around. Pride swelled in his chest as he looked out at the glittering panopoly of women in sparkling gowns and men in suits, and everywhere SeeDs in formal dress, looking as sharp and deadly as the weapons of their trade in their fine uniforms. He was one of them now. Seifer took a deep and satisfied breath and walked down the steps, smiling as he saw more than one person turn to look at him in surprise and admiration.

 

But the person he wanted to see most was not around.

 

“Looking for someone?” Zell asked as he came down the stairs. “I'm surprised you didn't bring your girlfriend.”

 

“I don't have to,” said Seifer, still looking around.

 

“Huh? Why?” Zell's eyes suddenly became very round. “OHHH! Is she a SeeD?”

 

“Yeah. Ow!” Zell had punched him in the arm. Seifer knew it was playful but it still hurt. “What the hell?”

 

“You dog!” Zell laughed, dancing a bit in place. “I didn't know you were into older women.”

 

“I like competent women,” said Seifer, resisting the urge to rub his arm. “Age is immaterial.”

 

“So what, is she like 30?”

 

“No,” said Seifer, rolling his eyes.

 

“Yeah,” piped Selphie, who had appeared around his other side. “I think she's more like...eighteen. Our age.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Zell's eyes gleamed.

 

“Yeah,” said Selphie. “And I think she's blonde...”

 

“Why do you say that?” Zell asked as Seifer snapped around to look at her.

 

“Because why else would that pretty lady be walking straight for us?” Selphie asked, pointing off to Seifer's left.

 

Seifer looked to his left. He immediately spotted the pretty lady that Selphie was pointing out, but that was all he was capable of doing as his breath left in a rush. He knew the face under that artfully coiffed blonde hair, but the glittering gown Quistis wore was like something out of high fantasy, a garment that a queen or an enchantress might wear: fitting, since he couldn't look away. Tasteful gems glittered at her ears and he saw a flash of gold, round-toed shoes peeking out with every step she took. Conversations fell dead when she passed by; heads turned, male and female, all awed by the golden-haired, sapphire-eyed goddess that had come down among them.

 

“Holy crap, that's Instructor Trepe!” Zell blurted out.

 

“I knew it! I knew it!” Selphie started jumping up and down in excitement. “Wow! She's gorgeous! I am SOOO jealous!”

 

“Hello Seifer,” said Quistis as she walked up, smiling. She was wearing makeup, but very lightly; no powder or pencil could improve the natural perfection of her face. She had just dark enough a lipstick that her pillowy lips looked invitingly red. Seifer swallowed hard.

 

“Hi,” he croaked out. Holy Hyne did she look good. It was unreal. Seifer was suddenly aware that he hadn't pressed his uniform since yesterday and sure it _looked_ fine but nowhere near a match for Quistis's gown. He felt like running away all of a sudden.

 

“Dance with me,” she said, holding out her hand.

 

“Okay,” Seifer said, taking her hand. Quistis smiled and squeezed his fingers lightly. Even though he was the man, Seifer distinctly felt like he was being led as they walked out onto the dance floor. Almost belatedly he heard Zell yelp in surprise as certain facts hit him at once.

 

“ _I don't think I've ever seen him look so shocked,”_ thought Quistis, suppressing the urge to laugh. It wasn't entire due to merriment; she was also nervous as hell, having never worn such a dramatic gown before. As soon as she'd entered the ballroom, Quistis had been aware of people staring at her. It made her uncomfortable. SeeDs were her peers by profession, but Zama had been quite correct in deducing that she had no friends among them. In fact, the vast majority of SeeDs Quistis had ever encountered and worked with were envious of her accomplishments at such a young age and they could be very mean, ranging from social isolation to outright insults, usually involving sex in some way. Their scorn was a huge part of why Quistis had sought education and solace on the Net, because the idea of trying to explore anything with one of _them_ made her feel sick.

 

And now no few of the men and several of the women were eyeing her like they had a chance. Well, the joke was on them. She knew who she was going home with tonight and her choice would likely make everyone gnash their teeth, either because they hated Seifer or wanted him badly. Who wouldn't? Under the golden lamplight, in the neat uniform he'd worked so hard for for so many years, Seifer looked like a prince and the way the uniform skimmed his broad shoulders, narrow hips, and strong arms made Quistis feel a little weak in the knees. All of the new SeeDs seemed a little too young for the uniform, a bit like children playing dress-up, but Seifer looked every inch the deadly professional that Balamb Garden was famous for, scar and all.

 

Though the completely stunned look on his face was disarmingly cute.

 

“I take it you like the dress,” she said as she curled her hand over his.

 

“Uh-huh,” said Seifer, putting his hand on her back. When he touched skin, he nearly jumped out of his. Quistis laughed, her eyes sparkling.

 

“Oh that's right, you haven't seen the back,” she said, imagining his reaction.

 

“There's a back?”

 

“Not much of one.”

 

Shock and desire made Seifer clumsy but their dancing was very proper and mannerly, with Quistis gracefully covering up missteps until Seifer got his head back in the game. Gradually he relaxed as the music went on. Feeling a bit adventurous, Seifer lifted his hand and led Quistis into a turn, and when she stepped underneath his arm and showed off the dramatic keyhole at the back of the dress, Seifer nearly tripped over his own feet standing still. Of course Quistis noticed and laughed, which made Seifer turn a bit red. He recovered by bringing her close to whisper in her ear, which not only made her blush, but also hid his red face from her view.

 

“So did you just have this lying around, or...?”

 

“It's actually Xu's.”

 

“What?”

 

“I think she's giving us her blessing,” Quistis said, making Seifer mutter. “Don't tell me you automatically hate the dress now.”

 

“I'll be honest,” he said as they went into a turn that briefly pressed the length of their bodies along each other. “I liked it before...”

 

“Yes?”

 

He leaned slightly down to whisper in her ear. “But I think I'll like it a lot better when it's on the floor.”

 

Seifer had expected her to blush and stammer at that, but instead she chuckled and rolled her eyes a bit at him.

 

“Why, Mr. Almasy,” said Quistis in tones of mock-dismay. “You sound like you have...designs.”

 

“Oh yeah,” he said, grinning lasciviously. “I'd love to show you my artwork.”

 

Quistis laughed, drawing the attention of several nearby couples. Seifer saw a few people jump at the sight of him dancing with Quistis and moreover that they were having a good time in each other's company. Seifer smirked at them.

 

“ _That's right,”_ he thought a little viciously, especially at the older male SeeDs who giving Quistis the longest, creepiest once-overs he'd ever seen. With his hand against Quistis's back, Seifer flipped them off and shocked them into looking at his face. He gave them a brief glare of challenge. _“She's with me. She's mine.”_

 

“ _Who is he looking at?”_ Quistis wondered, seeing a familiar combative grin flash over Seifer's face. She almost turned to look but then Seifer caught her attention.

 

“Speaking of which, how is _your_ artwork going?” He asked. Quistis blushed rosily, which made Seifer smirk.

 

“Well enough,” she said, sounding prim. But in the same tone and with a wicked gleam in her eye, she said, “But I could use a model.”

 

“Really?” Seifer asked, intrigued.

 

“Yes...” She said in a near purr that made Seifer grin. “I always find it easier to draw from life.”

 

A powerful shiver made Seifer groan softly and Quistis laughed again.

 

The music swelled into a familiar waltz and they kept on dancing. Impulsively Seifer pulled out some of the trickier steps he remembered from Deportment and was not entirely surprised when Quistis followed perfectly through fast turns, a trickier spin, and a progressive step that made their hips brush against each other.

 

“You're very good at this,” said Quistis with some surprise.

 

“It's a physical activity,” he said, spinning her out and back again. “I'm _very_ good at those.”

 

Quistis opened her mouth to say something, but he saw her eyes flick to the side a split second before someone bumped hard into his back. Annoyed, Seifer turned and saw Rinoa looking up at him. Of all the people she could be dancing with, she was waltzing with Squall.

 

Their eyes met for a frozen second. Seifer opened his mouth, about to say he knew not what, but then Rinoa playfully stuck her tongue out at him and waltzed Squall away. The brunet SeeD seemed stunned, though whether it was by the dancing, seeing Seifer and Quistis together, or by Rinoa herself was anyone's guess.

 

“That girl,” Seifer muttered, turning his attention back to Quistis.

 

“You know her?” Quistis cocked her head. “Let me guess, her name is Rinoa.”

 

Seifer stared. “How could you possibly know that?”

 

“I caught a bit of your personal call a few days ago,” she said. “I didn't mean to eavesdrop. She looks nice. Ex-girlfriend?”

 

What was it with women and talking about each other? Seifer sure as hell didn't want to know about anyone Quistis might have been involved with or even had a crush on. Nevertheless he said, “Yeah, but that's not important. She's here for business.”

 

“Ah, the one who wants to hire SeeDs. She waved at you on the docks, didn't she?”

 

Quistis didn't miss anything, did she? “She did.”

 

“And... You went to party in her room too, after we got back.”

 

Seifer's stomach roiled guiltily. He wondered if he should—no, he knew he should tell Quistis about drunkenly making out with Rinoa. But it wasn't important and it would never, ever happen again. Seifer didn't want anyone other than Quistis in his arms tonight.

 

“It wasn't much of a party,” he said lightly. “We ate, watched some movies, and fell asleep.”

 

Quistis smiled. Had she bought it? Seifer wanted to kick himself.

 

The squeal and boom of fireworks overhead bought him some time. “Do you want a drink?” He asked.

 

“Huh? Oh... Sure,” said Quistis, looking somewhat surprised. Seifer smiled quickly and walked off, his expression falling flat as soon as he left. Damn it, Rinoa! If he hadn't seen her, if Quistis hadn't asked him questions, he would be kissing the woman he wanted under the fireworks right now and watchers be damned. Instead Seifer was running like an idiot because he was afraid that the next words out of his mouth would destroy the future worse than any chain gun could.

 

As Seifer walked off, Quistis looked at Rinoa. Up close, the girl was devastatingly cute, the sort that made every head turn in the vicinity. Even Squall, stoic as he was, seemed charmed enough by her to indulge in a dance, and if Squall Leonhart the famous stoneface didn't have a chance, what man did?

 

Quistis looked for Seifer, unaccountably nervous for no real reason. He was getting two flutes of champagne and she saw a tense, troubled look on his face that vanished as he turned around, replaced by an easy smile. A shiver went down her back. Had he always been able to do that? What did it mean?

 

“ _Was that all that happened when they went to her room?”_

 

“So do you still have your heart set on the Taciel movie?” He asked her as he approached, handing her a flute of champagne.

 

“I actually started reading the books,” said Quistis, shoving her doubts aside. There was enough trouble going on in her life without her having to borrow any. As Seifer's brows rose, she said, “I can see what you mean about a third-person perspective doing her character a disservice on the screen.”

 

“So you're the one who checked all of them out,” said Seifer, making Quistis laugh. “I was going to reread all of them before our date.”

 

 _Our date._ Quistis shivered as delight and discomfort prickled over her skin. _Our date._ So what was he actually doing with other girls?

 

“Where are you in the book?” He asked her, guiding her over to a table. Quistis sat gratefully; Xu had talked her into three-inch heels but her feet hadn't gotten the message yet.

 

“Taciel and Jon just got into the Forest of Hands and Teeth.”

 

“Ooh, that is a good scene,” he said, eyes flashing. “Dillon writes great action.”

 

“She does, doesn't she?” Quistis exclaimed softly. “It's not like with other authors, who just make things up. She really understands combat.”

 

“That's one of the things that hooked me about those books,” said Seifer, sounding excited. Gesturing with one hand he said, “Not just the prose, but she knows how things flow. You can see the battles happening and you can feel it in her writing. I read somewhere she actually uses combat training for fitness, so—wait a minute, the Forest of Hands and Teeth?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You're on the second book already?”

 

“Yes,” said Quistis, sipping her champagne. “For an average novel, I can get through about two hundred pages in an hour. The first book of the Trilogy took me about three hours to complete.”

 

“That's impossible,” said Seifer flatly. 

 

Quistis gave him a look. “Do I need to give you an entire summary of the first book?”

 

“I think you should,” said Seifer, though he sounded intrigued.

 

So Quistis went over Taciel's adventures, her schism with her family, meeting Jon and deciding he wasn't a horrible person, and the first hint of the necromantic conspiracy that threatened to destroy the witchdom of Celsiore. Seifer drank his champagne and looked at her fondly, resting his cheek on his hand, but Quistis was so involved in her summary that she didn't notice his expression until he started shaking his head.

 

“What?” She asked, suddenly self-conscious.

 

“I just think you and Fujin would have a field day,” he said. “Your interpretations are almost the same, except she thinks Jon and Taciel are meant to be and you think it's Taciel and Vanora.”

 

“There is clearly lesbian subtext in the manuscript,” said Quistis, tapping the table. The champagne was going to her head a little, making her feel much more comfortable about everything. She and Seifer took second flutes from a passing server as she added, “Though that's not to say that Taciel may not be demisexual.”

 

“Demisexual?”

 

“Yes,” said Quistis. “She's only attracted to people that she knows and trusts.”

 

Seifer smiled. Quistis was still getting used to this particular smile, which had none of the scorn and arrogance she still unconsciously associated with him. This was a gentle smile, a smile that called out her own with its enjoyment of her company.

 

“Hey.”

 

Quistis and Seifer looked up. It was Rinoa, who was smiling brightly like there wasn't a problem in the world.

 

“You must be Seifer's girlfriend,” she said to Quistis. “I'm Rinoa. Nice to meet you!”

 

“Quistis. Nice to meet you too,” said Quistis, taking the girl's hand and shaking it. “How do you know Seifer?”

 

“We dated a year ago,” said Rinoa without hesitation. “Now we're friends. And don't you worry about me, I am on the first train back to Timber tomorrow morning. Can I borrow him for a second?”

 

“What?” Quistis was startled by the rapid-fire address of her unspoken concerns.

 

“Please?” Rinoa pressed her hands together. “They're playing a Galbadian reel and there are so few people here who know how to dance it. We are literally one person short.”

 

“One person short?” Quistis repeated, confused.

 

“You have to do it in multiples of four. Please! Otherwise people will just start flailing around.”

 

Seifer stood up, making the women look at him. “I haven't danced a reel in a year,” he said, looking at Rinoa. To Quistis, he said, “Do you mind?”

 

“Um...” Quistis wavered. Rinoa looked exactly like the sort of girl she always worried would steal Quistis's theoretical boyfriends, but she didn't _act_ like a nightmare girl at all. Torn between jealousy and rationality, Quistis said, “Well... If you like, Seifer.”

 

“It's just one dance,” he said, making Rinoa clap her hands excitedly. Then as though to reassure her, Seifer came around the table and kissed Quistis chastely on the lips, sending a shock of heat through her mouth. “Thanks,” he whispered to her.

 

“Have fun,” she whispered back. As he walked off with Rinoa, Quistis clutched the stem of her champagne flute and hoped she was feeling stupid for no reason at all. Even his kiss had felt like he was buying her off.

 

The reel was unfamiliar enough that most people left the dance floor to get a drink or otherwise take a break, which allowed Quistis a clear view of the reel itself. Sixteen dancers lined up in squares of four and as the music picked up, someone in the arrangement shouted. At once the dancers began to step in and out in predetermined steps, whirling and switching partners and running up and down the lines. It was a very energetic and yet mannerly sort of dance, reminding Quistis of a country celebration. Unconsciously she found herself nodding in time to the music. Then she started laughing as Seifer tried to keep up with the reel and occasionally turned the wrong way or ended up with a man as a partner instead of a girl, which confused everybody and threw off the arrangement. Rinoa laughed at him wholeheartedly and didn't bother trying to soothe his feelings when they ended up as partners, though it was hard to tell the exact expression on her face or Seifer's face while they were spinning so fast as to almost be a blur. The dance ended with the dancers applauding and no few of the watchers clapping too.

 

“I forgot how much of a workout those are,” said Seifer when he returned, unfastening the top few buttons of his uniform. Quistis forgot to chide him on unprofessional dress as her eyes seemed to latch onto the hollow of his throat and the sweat-slicked line of his collarbone. Heat bloomed in the pit of her stomach, making her feel uncomfortably heavy.

 

“It looked like fun,” she said, managing to tear her eyes away. “And... Rinoa seems nice.”

 

“She's always nice,” he said, half-amused and half-dismissive. Quistis cocked her head as Seifer sat down, unconsciously slouching into the chair.

 

“You think she's _too_ nice?”

 

“When did I say that?”

 

“Just now.”

 

Seifer's lips thinned. Leaning across the table to speak to Quistis, he said quietly, “Between you and me, she's a rich girl who doesn't like to say it. She's naïve and idealistic too. So yeah, she's a bit too nice.”

 

“And she's hiring SeeDs? What for?”

 

“She heads a resistance group in Timber called The Forest Owls,” said Seifer, making Quistis's estimation of the pert, dark-haired girl go up a few notches. “Actually, the reason she's here is because she wants to talk to Cid and get some people for a discount rate.”

 

“A discount rate,” Quistis repeated, a smile going up her lips.

 

“I know,” said Seifer as Quistis started to laugh. “But that's what she does. That's how she is.”

 

“Oh my goodness,” said Quistis, shaking her head. “How old is she?”

 

“17.”

 

“Oh my.”

 

“Oh my?” He repeated, tilting his head. “You're only a year older.”

 

“I know, but...” Quistis shrugged. “It's the life. I feel much older.”

 

“How much older?”

 

“That is not polite.”

 

“I just want to know if you feel more like an adult or a teenager right now,” he asked innocently. When Quistis cocked her head, he leaned over the table and said, “Because an adult would stay for the whole party. Whereas a teenager...”

 

“...yes?” Quistis asked softly, her skin warming.

 

“Well...” Seifer's eyes seemed to glow and his voice dipped into that register that made her shiver inside. “A teenager would leave... And...”

 

“...and...?”

 

“Read books all right,” he said cheekily, sitting back in his chair. “You only have two more days before our movie date.”

 

Quistis huffed, sitting back in her own chair. “I'll get through them.”

 

“Are you sure you have time?”

 

“Of course I have time. I have the rest of tonight after the party.”

 

“No you don't.”

 

“No I—and what makes you say that?”

 

“Because if it's up to me, you'll be awake and reading will be the last thing on your mind.”

 

Quistis looked at him suspiciously. “Say what you mean,” she said finally, making him laugh. “I don't like being messed around with.”

 

Seifer picked up his chair and slung it over so he was sitting right by her. Quistis jumped a bit as he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to whisper in her ear again.

 

“I mean that if it's up to me, I'd like to peel this amazing dress off you and make love to you until you can't see straight.”

 

Seifer heard Quistis gasp aloud. Encouraged, he pressed a kiss behind her ear and saw her hands tighten into fists in her lap. Just enough alcohol and heady excitement burned in his veins that Seifer decided to try something out, but before he could say the first word he heard a man say, “Is that little QT?”

 

Quistis and Seifer looked up. It was the Trabian SeeD, wearing his uniform and an alcohol flush across his otherwise handsome face. Seifer looked at the man strangely before looking at Quistis.

 

“QT?” Seifer asked, articulating each letter. He thought he saw a muscle twitch near Quistis's eye.

 

“Hello, Alton,” said Quistis formally, composing herself with a breath.

 

“Hyne in Heaven, you're not a little girl anymore!” Alton dragged a chair over and sat down in front of him, his hands loosely knit together. “My gosh. What's it been, two years?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Still doing that thing with the whip?”

 

Quistis nodded, her face impressively calm. Seifer was forced to revise his assessment of the Trabian SeeD, which had been favorable since Alton had been on his side during the debriefing. Now, however, he was cockblocking Seifer _and_ talking down to Quistis, and Seifer was not sure which thing annoyed him more. Unconsciously his hand tightened around Quistis's shoulder.

 

“Hey, hey, hey...” Alton looked at the two of them closely. “What's this? You two a pair?”

 

Seifer opened his mouth. He knew what he wanted to say, but it occurred to him that he had no idea what Quistis thought they were. He looked at her instead.

 

“Yes,” said Quistis after what seemed like a long pause. “He is my boyfriend.”

 

“ _Why did that come out like a challenge?”_ Seifer wondered. The near hostility in Quistis's voice made Seifer wonder what he actually was to her.

 

“Good job!” Alton said jovially. He reached out and actually chucked Quistis on the chin before Seifer realized he was serious. “I knew you could do it. You just needed some time to fill out.”

 

Seifer's mouth fell open. Quistis's only response to Alton's towering offensiveness was to smile politely and then straighten glasses that weren't there with _just_ her middle finger. Even in his own shock, Seifer thought it was the most eloquently bitchy thing he had ever seen her do.

 

Later, when he thought about it, he became aroused.

 

“Alton,” said Quistis in honeyed, poisonous tones. “The Ball hasn't been going on for an hour. You should leave some refreshments for the rest of the evening.”

 

Alton shook his finger at her with a grin, shaking his head at her. “Ahhh you're so sensible. QT, she's always so sensible! Such a smart little girl!”

 

“Do you want me to kill him?” Seifer demanded of Quistis, stunned at what he was witnessing. “I'll do it.”

 

“That's so...fast, Seifer,” said Quistis through the narrowest smile he had ever seen. She still sounded so delightfully sweet.

 

“And you!” Alton said, oblivious to their exchange; Seifer leaned back as the man's finger moved dangerously close to his chest. “You are a bright young lad. We need more men like you. We need _innovators.”_

 

He started rambling about para-magic then. Quistis extricated herself with exquisite grace, not that Alton seemed to notice her taking her leave. When Seifer tried to follow, Alton actually grabbed his arm and pulled him back down into his chair. Seifer's eyes flashed, but then he caught a glimpse of Quistis's smirk as she disappeared into the crowd. The hell?

 

“Hey, I gotta warn you about something.”

 

“What?” Seifer asked irritably, pulling his sleeve from Alton's grip.

 

“SeeD women.”

 

“What about them?”

 

“Don't date them. They're fucking crazy.”

 

“Good,” Seifer shot back. He said that more to end the conversation than out of agreement, but then Alton slapped his knee and Seifer started thinking of ways to push the man over without being obvious about it. Alton seemed drunk enough that he might not even remember getting hit.

 

“No, not good. And little QT, she's the craziest of them all.”

 

“ _Quistis Trepe_ is a professional,” Seifer gritted out. “And a prodigy.”

 

“ _Whereas_ you _are a drunk who likes to bang women without protection,”_ thought Seifer, suddenly realizing he'd seen Alton with Xu in the training center. _“You can't even take care of yourself. Don't you fucking talk to me about women. Asshole.”_

 

“She's a stone-cold killer, boy, and dating women like that only gets you in for a world of pain,” said Alton. His drunken gaze was nevertheless serious as he pointed at Seifer, saying, “You just made it, so you don't know the life. We die every day because of stupid-ass orders on stupid-ass missions, and you know what that does to the women? They either crack down the middle because all of a sudden _but you might get hurt!_ Or they freeze down and go cold at the core, don't care about shit except what you can do for 'em. Oh yeah, she looks nice now but once she's got what she wants, you're out. Like the garbage.”

 

“Hey, you look like you need a drink,” said Seifer, standing up abruptly. “Wait right there.”

 

He walked off, deliberately losing himself in the crowd. He saw Zell prowling the food table with a plate that never remained empty for long, while Selphie was chatting excitedly with a group of older SeeD women. Seifer saw Rinoa talking earnestly to Headmaster Cid at a table, her eyes shining with the special enthusiasm that she had for Timber's liberation; Headmaster Cid nodded along, pleased but not looking like he was promising anything. After scanning the crowd again, Seifer at last spotted Quistis...

 

...who was dancing with Squall.

 

The unofficial rule was that new SeeDs, most being 17-20 years old, had limited drinking experience and should stick to the champagne; however, there was harder stuff available and in any case, the servers knew better than to get between professional mercenaries and whatever they wanted to consume. When a server carrying cocktails passed by, she did not say anything to Seifer as he snagged one and started drinking. Whether it was because people routinely mistook Seifer for being in his mid-twenties or because of the angry look and the scar on his face was anyone's guess.

 

“ _Well, Quistis watched me dance with Rinoa,”_ thought Seifer as he sipped the Dollet Iced Tea. The alcohol punch hit him a few seconds after he swallowed, heating his annoyance like the fire in a forge. Seifer leaned against the wall and watched his girlfriend dance with the closest thing he had to a rival. He was fully planning to be irritated but instead found himself snickering as it became evident that Squall Leonhart was flustered. His trademark guarded look had fallen away and revealed the truth of his age, while Quistis was as perfectly upright and elegant as any lady: honestly she looked like a Deportment teacher trying to get a student to learn a dance. Seifer saw Squall's eyes darting around like he had no idea where to look, which just made Seifer grin a bit more. And in her shoes, Quistis was even taller than Squall was, which was another cherry on top of the cake. When the dance was done and Quistis walked over to Seifer, he was grinning.

 

“And what are you smiling about?” She asked him, her voice playful again.

 

“Leonhart's 'deer in the headlights' look,” Seifer said. “You look like you pounced on him.”

 

She blinked at Seifer for a second before laughing softly. “I sort of did. I also gave him a little talk on the importance of networking, not that I think it took.”

 

“Squall, schmoozing?”

 

“Yes, yes, I know. What are you drinking?”

 

“Well...” Seifer studied the glass. “I was gonna call it 'my girl abandoned me to a drunken woman-hater', but now I think I'm gonna call it, 'one point five sheets'.”

 

“Zero point seven-five,” said Quistis, taking the glass from his hand and taking a drink of her own. Seifer's brows rose as she took a respectable gulp before handing the Iced Tea back to him; a second later she started coughing, making Seifer laugh again.

 

“So...” He said as she caught her breath. “I'm your boyfriend.”

 

She froze. Seifer flashed back to the moment in the elevator when they'd had their first real talk.

 

“Um... Yes,” she said, the blush on her face not due to alcohol. “It... Seemed... Appropriate.”

 

If he'd been sober, he would have been annoyed. As it was, Seifer just chuckled and when Quistis looked at him in surprise, he said, “It only took you two whole days to say it after I did.”

 

“...shut up,” she said, swiping the drink back.

 

“You should slow down,” said Seifer as he watched the alcohol disappear down her throat. “Holding your hair out of the toilet is not how I envisioned this night ending.”

 

“I hold my liquor just fine,” she said, handing him back the glass. It was down by about two-thirds now.

 

“And when did you ever drink, little Miss Priss?”

 

“Xu has quite a collection in her room,” said Quistis, sounding very prim indeed. “And sometimes I can't sleep.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Just...reasons.”

 

“ _She's a stone-cold killer.”_ “Nightmares?” Seifer asked, keeping his voice light.

 

“Sometimes,” Quistis admitted. “I've seen a lot of people die. And killed a bunch too, of course.” She glanced up at Seifer, her blue eyes strangely bright. “You don't seem bothered by it. I've seen you in battle. And I read your kill records in previous field tests. What's your secret?”

 

“You mean why don't I sob myself to sleep every night?” He asked sarcastically, but the flattening of Quistis's expression made him realize he'd said a really stupid thing. “Uh... Honestly, I don't know. I think... I just don't see them as people. Not when I'm fighting. Just... Obstacle. Eliminate.”

 

“And after?”

 

Seifer shrugged. “I don't think about them.”

 

“What about the families you've taken them away from?”

 

“I wouldn't know,” said Seifer. “One, I'm never gonna meet said families. Two, I have no idea how families miss people, seeing as I've never had one.”

 

Seifer watched melancholy settle over her. She was strange tonight, somehow more off-kilter than he ever remembered. Alton's insistence that _SeeD women are crazy_ kept echoing in his head.

 

“Wanna dance for a while?” Seifer asked Quistis. When she nodded, he took another drink and then watched as Quistis polished it off. True to her word, she did seem to hold her liquor well and as they danced around the floor and left a ripple of startled glances in their wake, Seifer felt her relaxing. They kept to formal deportment steps for the most part, moving from waltzes to foxtrots and even a tango that ended in laughter when Quistis spotted Selphie trying to dance with Zell like they were both in kindergarten. The look of utter bewilderment on Zell's face nearly put Seifer in tears.

 

The moon was high and full and the party was in full swing, with the orchestra giving way to a live band that brought the energy back up. For some reason that annoyed Seifer; the kind of music that the band was playing was more suited to energetic jumping around than the kind of close dancing he was enjoying with Quistis now. When he glanced down at her, he noted a similar expression of dismay.

 

“So did you ever listen to that CD?” Seifer asked her as they made their way to a vacant table to rest.

 

Quistis nodded, a smile touching her lips. Her lipstick was still glossy and rather red; Seifer wanted to see how it looked smudged over her mouth. He banked his desire to pay attention to what she was saying as they took seats next to each other.

 

“Yes,” she said. “It's not what I expected from you.”

 

“Oh? What did you expect?”

 

“I'm not sure,” said Quistis, tapping her cheek. Her eyes were very bright and there was a rosy blush on her pale cheeks that made her look even more soft and lovely. “Something less contemplative, maybe. You're a very interesting man, Seifer. And it didn't escape me, by the way, that you didn't put a single song that CD that had the phrase 'I love you' on it.”

 

“You don't put something that important in a fucking mix CD,” said Seifer, offended. “If I tell you I love you, it's gonna be to your face.”

 

Quistis smiled at him then. “So it's decided.”

 

“What's decided?”

 

She made a vague gesture between the two of them. “This. What it is. Do you agree it's mostly lust?”

 

The fuck? “Aren't most things in the beginning?” Seifer asked, looking at her strangely.

 

“Hmmm... Maybe. I don't know.” Quistis sighed. Something was up with her tonight, Seifer just knew it. But he was also just tipsy enough that he thought he knew of a great way to distract her if she wasn't going to tell him what was up. Putting his arm around her shoulder again, he whispered in her ear.

 

“Wanna get out of here?”

 

“And do what?” She murmured back, nevertheless tilting her ear toward his lips. She smelled very sweet and slightly musky today, still with that delicate nectarine-like scent he associated with her. Seifer chuckled and saw her shiver as his breath caressed her neck.

 

“I was serious when I said I wanted to make love to you,” he barely breathed, a true whisper for her ears alone. As Quistis startled, Seifer went on with a thrill of boldness and said, “First I would pull all the pins out of your beautiful long hair and kiss you until you melted. Then I would unhook the back of the gown and run my lips down your neck as I pull the top of the dress off just a little bit at a time. And when I finally slide it off your body, I want to pick you up and carry you over to the bed, where—”

 

“Stop,” Quistis breathed, making him draw back.

 

“Too much?” He asked her in concern.

 

“N-no,” said Quistis, trembling. “I just... I want you to _do_ it. Not tell me about it.”

 

Seifer was stunned. He'd just been planning to rev her up until she either hit him or made fun of him, but this... Well, this was honestly the best outcome.

 

“Are you sure?” He asked her, aware of the significance of her request. He had never forgotten she was a virgin. As Quistis nodded, Seifer's skin seemed to tighten with awareness and he had to confirm, “Right now?”

 

Quistis nodded, her eyes calm but bright. “Right now.”

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Just a warning that tomorrow's update will be nothing but smut. Smut foreeever.

 As I've mentioned before, I do love the Old Kingdom series, but another very good YA zombie book I've read is titled "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" and is unique in my catalog of YA novels because it deals with the realities of changing attraction. It's not an easy read, though; my heart was pounding with dismay the entire time. 'Dillion' is of course a reference to Leo and Diane Dillon, who did the amazing cover illustrations for 'Sabriel' 'Lirael' 'Abhorsen' and 'Over the Wall'. Their son also draws lovely art. Their soft colors and Afrofuturism were a serious breath of fresh air for me as a child.

The Galbadian reel that Seifer and Rinoa dance is a reference to contra dancing, which is an unexpectedly cardiovascular good clean fun sort of dance. In the summertime the men will wear long skirts so everyone can generate breezes with the massive spinning movements, and when viewed from above with dancers who know what they're going, contra dancing is a marvel of mathematics and spinning colors. I highly recommend everyone give it a try at least once; you get to meet lots of neat (usually past middle-aged) folks and if you have a giant flowy skirt, really get to show it off. The contra dances I've been do also had waltzes, which is why I thought it might work here.

And finally, Alton Brenner. I think I had a lot of fun writing this chauvinistic jackass, mostly because he's one of those guys who honestly does think he's very nice to women, and the depths of his ignorance would require brand new machinery to dig him out. Despite his jerkass words and outdated attitude, he is actually a pretty nice guy. Just infuriating to be around. However, he's also been good-looking enough his entire life that most people just let him slide. Which they should not. That's your word of advice, readers: a symmetrical face is not an excuse to behave badly.

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	29. Chapter 29

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26 February 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

They left, not bothering to see if anybody was watching them go. Seifer's blood thrilled as Quistis held his arm tightly, her pale skin flushed with desire. As soon as they crossed the open hallway into the cafeteria, Quistis grabbed Seifer by the front of his jacket and kissed him passionately, nearly knocking him over with the force of her desire. His astonishment at her boldness transformed almost immediately into arousal as she curled against him, making him aware of her softness and eagerness through their clothing. Her gown was elaborate and beautiful, but thin enough that he could feel every subtle curve of her when as she purred against him.

 

“Damn,” he breathed when they came up for air. They started running after that, heels thudding and clicking through the empty halls, holding hands with giddy smiles on their faces. As they reached the central ring, Seifer half-turned and asked, “Yours or m—”

 

“Yours is closer,” said Quistis, breathless and excited. She felt reckless and wild, like in the car before but better because she knew things were definitely going to work out. _This_ was going to work out.

 

_"Everything else can go to hell, but at least someone likes me and wants to be around me. Wants to be with me. That'll do for now."_

 

“Okay.” Seifer caught her around the waist and kissed her again, sighing as he felt her moan in his embrace. Hyne, she was _hot_ tonight. He dragged at the edges of the keyhole around her back, making her shiver as he scratched her bare skin. In response Quistis pulled at his partly unfastened jacket, pulling a few more buttons open. They were going to be a mess of disarranged fabric and hungry hands.

 

Only the desire not to be caught in the middle of the hall got them moving again and when Quistis tripped up the stairs to the dorms, Seifer swung her into his arms and bounded up the short flight two steps at a time. Fortunately no one was around as he set Quistis down in front of his door and unlocked it, jerking a bit in shock as Quistis unfastened his uniform belt from behind. The door slid open and nearly dumped them on the floor, but Seifer turned the near stagger to their advantage as he wrapped his arms around Quistis and pulled her over to the bed. As the door slid shut, he pulled her on top of him and ran his hands down the length of her body. Scratchy sequins instead of skin under his palms made him growl.

 

“Take this off,” Quistis begged softly, her lips brushing against his. If they went any slower she was afraid she was going to lose her nerve and fuck up something else, and anxiety and arousal tore for space in her body like only one could ever exist.

 

“How drunk are you?” He had to ask. This was delightful, but also not like her.

 

"I'm not.” Abruptly Quistis sat up and fumbled with the back of her dress, her cheeks flushed. Seifer had to cover his mouth to keep from swearing as Quistis shrugged the gown off her shoulders and pulled off the long sleeves, revealing that she was wearing no bra. She caught the look on his face and blushed, though it was hard to tell with just the light from the window. “What?”

 

“I just didn't think it was possible to be happier,” he told her.

 

Quistis smiled. Then she reached up again and pulled three gem-studded pins from her hair, making waves of golden blonde fall down over her bare shoulders.

 

“Never mind,” said Seifer, reaching up to run his hands through her hair. It felt so smooth and heavy that it was like touching wet clay. Pure sensory enjoyment made him sigh. He _loved_ long hair on women. When Quistis leaned down to kiss him, Seifer inhaled the sweetness of nectarines and something he still couldn't name that set his blood thrumming, and he could feel cool curls of that pure golden silk settling around him. He wanted to see it fanned out around her pleasured, panting face.

 

Seeing how lost Seifer could get in the moment seemed to make need pulse through Quistis's body, drowning out the incessant voices of rational thought as she tugged Seifer's uniform open. She wanted to feel his skin against hers so much that it honestly felt like she was out of her mind, and as she tried to coordinate unfastening buttons in the face of Seifer's hungry kisses, she growled softly in annoyance. At once Quistis squeaked as Seifer abruptly sat up and reached over his shoulders, dragging off his uniform jacket and dress shirt in one smooth motion. Almost, anyway. Seifer swore as the cuffs of his dress shirt caught around his wrists, but Quistis was too distracted by the sight of him to care that he was not all the way topless.

 

As she'd guessed from seeing him in his student uniform earlier, he was very muscular and even the various scars he'd acquired as a student of the Garden didn't detract from his superb physical shape. She was fascinated by the way the light gleamed off his skin and glittered off his scars as he fought with his clothing, getting more frustrated with every passing moment. When it looked like he was about to rip the buttons off, Quistis grabbed the mess of clothing and twisted it, binding his hands into a knot of fabric in his lap. He opened his mouth, probably to snap at her, and Quistis kissed him instead. She could feel the irritation melting out of him as she twined her tongue with his. Kissing got easier every time she did it.

 

“How come you like pushing my hands down?” He asked when they parted for air.

 

“I like the way you look,” said Quistis, eyes glowing.

 

“Oh yeah, you like when you're in control, don't you?”

 

Quistis nodded. Still holding his hands down, she kissed him again and felt him sigh, and underneath her hands she felt him continuing to mess with his shirt cuffs. Seifer wasn't the sort to be delayed for long, so Quistis took the opportunity to kiss his mouth and his neck and shoulder, moving down to his chest as he started to wrestle with his cuffs in earnest. Impulsively she licked his nipple and the gasp Seifer let out had her looking up in surprise.

 

“ _Huh,”_ she thought and licked again. This time she saw him jump and shudder, a blush creeping over his face. Quistis started to smile. This was nice, figuring out something on her own. _"I wonder how many other weak spots he has..."_

 

“Fffuck,” Seifer groaned as she started to play with his nipples in earnest, distracting him from getting his hands free. He had never felt comfortable telling any girl that he liked attention there and the fact that Quistis had no reservations felt like a sign. As a result it took him longer than he wanted to get his hands free and the pleasure was mounting fast, making him want to return the favor before he completely lost his mind. As soon as he yanked his hands out of the mess of fabric and threw it to the floor, Seifer half-lunged and pushed Quistis onto her back, pinning her down with a deep and hungry kiss as he swept his hands down her sides and dragged the gown and her undergarments off her. She was hot and soft underneath him, arching against his body with anticipation and grinding against his hips as she pulled on his belt again.

 

“D you have a—” She started to ask.

 

“S'my room, of course—”

 

“Then—”

 

“In a se—”

 

“No. Now.”

 

Bless women who knew what they wanted! Seifer had to roll off the bed to get to his white coat and find the condoms he carried in one of the inner breast pockets. When he turned around, he had to take a moment to drink in the sight of Quistis Trepe lying down on his bed, clad in nothing but moonlight and her long golden hair. She looked like the living embodiment of desire as she looked up at him, lips parted and slick from his kisses, her nipples taut and her skin flushed. Had it really been two entire weeks since he'd seen her naked? This was very different than the time in the truck. That was just fun, but this... A ripple of anxiety went through Seifer's stomach.

 

“ _Is she really ready? Am I really ready?”_

 

It wasn't like with Rinoa, where a good time was had by all with the end in sight. This could be the start of something...longer-lasting. Maybe even...

 

“ _Well, as permanent as you can get in this life anyway,”_ thought Seifer as Quistis sat up, looking at him with eyes that seemed to shimmer with nerves and anticipation. _“I could die on my first mission out, so there's no point in holding back.”_

 

There was some awkwardness in getting the tight boots off and then his pants, though easily the toughest part was getting the condom on while Quistis insisted on taking ruthless advantage of every sensitive place she could reach on him. It was like she was possessed or scared to slow down. When he'd gotten the stupid thing all the way on and down, Seifer grabbed Quistis and pinned her to the bed, sighing happily as she looked up at him with trust and desire in her peerless blue eyes.

 

“Beautiful,” he murmured, looking over her. He was so fucking lucky. Seifer leaned down and kissed her, transferring his grip on her wrists to her breasts. They were perfectly soft and the noises she made when he played with them set his blood afire, making Seifer have to work against the urge to squeeze too hard with wanting. He kissed down her neck and chest, taking a few minutes to tease her nipples with his tongue before going down lower. By the time he kissed down to her hips and then along her inner thigh, Quistis was trembling like a leaf in the wind.

 

“Seif—”

 

“Shh, you'll like it.”

 

“I know I'll like it, but—” Her cry choked off as Seifer ran his tongue over her wet pussy and pushed her legs up to hook over his shoulders. But as attentive as he was and as great as the pleasure was, Quistis scratched at his shoulders and gasped, straining for more. “Please. Please.”

 

Seifer ignored her. Quistis cried out as he started fingering her at the same time, long strokes and light curls seeming to beckon all the blood in her body to fill her flesh. The trembling turned into shaking as she felt the fine muscles in her hips starting to tighten, her skin seeming to charge with electric pleasure. And still she was desperate for more, wanting something deeper and thicker than what he was giving her right now.

 

“Please,” she cried out again, feeling his free hand tighten around her leg. “Oh please, I can't take it anymore!”

 

“ _Perfect,”_ thought Seifer, his eyes flicking up to take in the view. He really liked seeing her like this, uncontrolled and open. Giving her one last lick, Seifer sat up and wiped his mouth off on the back of his hand as he ran through his options. He really wanted to pound her through the mattress but that would probably scare the shit out of her for her first time, so instead Seifer wrapped his arms around Quistis's waist and flipped them over so she lay on top. Despite everything, she still blushed. She had no idea how cute she was.

 

Seifer had to ask her one last time. If everything was done and she looked at him like she'd made the biggest mistake of her life, he was going to set something on fire. “Are you sure?”

 

Her eyes seemed to flash. For a second it looked like she was going to be angry, but then Quistis sighed and shook her head, a smile creeping up over her lips. To Seifer's surprise, she caressed his face and brushed her fingertips over his mouth.

 

“Yes,” she told him. She drew that same hand down his chest and stomach, making Seifer groan aloud as she wrapped her her hand around his cock. “I've never been more sure.”

 

And it was true. In a rare moment of clarity outside the adrenaline rush of battle, Quistis knew exactly what she wanted to do now and more importantly, that Seifer was who she wanted to do this with. Every step of the way he had been careful, respectful, far gentler than she'd ever thought possible outside of fiction, and at the same time he was passionate, skilled, and infinitely exciting. Oh yes, she knew what she wanted.

 

Now to make him believe it.

 

 _"Thank goodness for the 'special' store..."_ thought Quistis, shivering a bit. Mindful that she'd have sex _someday,_ she'd been using vibrators and other toys for months and had absolutely no fear about how this might feel. Quistis knew the angles of her own body very well, but even so it was a bit of a struggle to find just the right approach with something that had a life of its own. Quistis gasped as she felt him enter her with something like a pop. Seifer rested his hands on her hips but dug his fingertips restlessly over her skin, groaning softly as Quistis eased herself down and panted with every inch of new territory explored. She found she couldn't look at him; one vulnerability at a time was enough and the new sensations, so incredibly different from anything she'd done before, were making her want to cry out loud. As the pleasure mounted and boosted everything he had done for her before, Quistis shut her eyes to better feel the ecstasy that was threatening to break loose inside her body. She braced her hands on Seifer's hipbones, shivering when at last she managed to rest entirely on him. There was a vague discomfort as the presence of him inside her seemed to push her organs aside, but it was not distracting enough to make her want to stop.

 

Seifer licked his lips and watched as Quistis shivered, acclimating to the feel of them finally fitting together. She felt absolutely amazing and the fact that she wasn't wincing made his chest swell with something that felt suspiciously like love; she trusted him enough to relax and feel nothing but pleasure. Now he really wanted to fuck her but again held himself back. Feeling like he was going to leave bruises on her hips if he kept his hands there, Seifer reached for her breasts again and gently tugged on her taut pink nipples, making Quistis jump a little. Then she started to grind against him, hesitantly at first and then with growing abandon as she got used to the motion. The subtle lines of muscle moving underneath her fair skin were unexpectedly erotic, reminding Seifer that the woman who was giving herself to him right now was also one of the deadliest on the planet and she was permitting him to be past her guard. And even teach her a few things, too. Things were going pretty well as far as Seifer was concerned, but he saw a growing consternation on Quistis's face as she tried to get what she wanted and couldn't get the motion down. Seifer waited until she took a breath, which was a while: she was very determined and also unaccustomed to failure.

 

 _"I don't understand,"_ Quistis thought, frustrated. _"Isn't this supposed to be the best position for women? It feels_ really nice, _but it's not going anywhere!"_

 

“Wanna try something else?” He asked, his blood thrilling with anticipation.

 

“Like what?”

 

Seifer flipped her onto her back and laughed softly as she blushed. “Oh,” said Quistis, looking unexpectedly shy. “Yes. This works.”

 

So. Damn. Cute.

 

Seifer started to move then, slowly and subtly, but pleasure still zinged through Quistis's body on a level she couldn't describe. Still keyed up, Quistis nevertheless felt a languid pleasure increasing between her legs, slow to rise and so utterly saturated with satisfaction that the sensation of making love and watching Seifer slowly start to lose control were nearly equal. She still couldn't look him in the eyes without blushing, but the sinuous ripple of movement through his chest and stomach was something she thought she could watch all day. Quistis wrapped her legs around Seifer's waist, sighing as she felt the dip and pull of his hips as he drew in and out of her, and dragged her fingernails down his back because she'd heard somewhere that men liked that. Seifer responded by kissing her and pressing all the way into her until it felt like he'd forced the air from her body. It felt _wonderful_.  Entirely different from before. Unconsciously Quistis started to pant as Seifer gradually increased the speed and depth of his strokes, making her warm pleasure ignite into something more intense. Without having to worry about what to do, she was able to relax and just _feel._

 

Reality was way, way better than imagination, but Seifer knew he was going to cum too soon if he kept looking at Quistis as she started to moan, her eyes fluttering closed and her legs tightening around his waist. He could feel the hard press of her heels against his low back as she silently begged for more. Desperate to delay, Seifer kissed her instead and nearly cursed as the pleasure only intensified; with his eyes closed and their bodies pressed tightly together, there was nothing to do but drown in the unspeakable welter of sensation. Seifer ground against her, trying to slow down, but then he felt her tensing up and tightening up underneath him. Oh shit. On top of feeling her cum once for him already, it was too much. It was all over, it was going to be all over, Seifer could feel it thickening his spine and narrowing his world to only what existed here and now. He tried to warn her or say something, maybe an apology for what he thought was a poor show, but all that came out was a hoarse and wordless cry that was the culmination of weeks of wanting.

 

Quistis literally could not think as the true definition of ecstasy rolled over her, robbing her of breath and temporarily of vision as her sight seemed to fuzz out around the edges. Vaguely she was aware of shuddering, shaking, needing to be held down as her near-seizure almost lifted her off the bed, but she was more aware of Seifer still thrusting into her with the last of their shared pleasure, his breath harsh and shaking as he came down. Had he cum? She wasn't sure. She thought she'd felt something pulsing from inside, but honestly it all felt so new and strange that she just wasn't sure.

 

Oh well. They'd have to repeat this experiment again in the future. As many times as it took to be certain.

 

Quistis sighed happily, making a sound that was almost like a purr, and Seifer drank the sweet sound of her satisfaction with ears and tongue. A shift of weight here, a change in embrace there, and they lay warm and heavy on the mattress, not saying anything as the weight of what they had done pressed like a heavy blanket over their bodies. Eventually Seifer rolled upright, more than half-asleep but not wanting to wake up to a bit of nasty latex and a wet spot in the middle of the bed.

 

“Seifer?”

 

“What?”

 

“What time is it?”

 

He still had his watch from the field exam, a practically indestructible thing that candidates usually handed back at the end of the test. Seifer slid out of bed and reached for the watch on his desk, squinting a bit as he turned on the backlight.

 

“Just after midnight,” he said. Realizing something, Seifer said, “Most everyone should still be partying, if you wanna...”

 

Oppressive weight seemed to push the air from her lungs. Her back to Seifer, Quistis took a moment to compose herself before turning over to look at him. “Are you kicking me out?” She asked, gazing at him in the moonlight. He looked so vibrant now, so complete. She wished she felt the same.

 

“No,” said Seifer. “But I don't think you'd like to do the walk of shame either.”

 

More problems. They never ended. Quistis held out her arms. “Come back.”

 

A few moments later they were both under the covers, which were just cool enough to chase sleep away. This close, Seifer was aware of how Quistis was not as soft as the other women he'd been with and it wasn't just because she was all muscle under smooth skin and silky hair. There was a hardness in her that seemed to be more like brittleness the longer they lay together. He felt her start to tremble again.

 

“Tell me what's wrong,” he said to her. He had the feeling she'd never say anything if he just asked.

 

Quistis sighed. She should have been asleep by now, either out of habit or because of the deflowering. But there was a cold sliver in her chest that had not left her all evening and now it was growing, greying out the happiness. Quistis buried her face against Seifer's neck, pressing her lips to his collarbone.

 

“I'm not an Instructor anymore,” she murmured.

 

Seifer went still. Unconsciously he tightened up, pulling Quistis to him hard enough to make the air puff out of her.

 

“Why?” He asked, feeling her trembling increase.

 

“I lack leadership qualities.”

 

“According to who?”

 

“The decision-makers.”

 

“Fuck those shitty bastards,” Seifer growled, startling a low laugh out of Quistis.

 

“Was I a good Instructor, Seifer?”

 

“Yes.” She felt him resettle his grip so he was actually holding her instead of just squeezing. “It's not your fault I was a pain in the ass.”

 

“It wasn't you.”

 

“It's not your fault other people were pains in the ass either,” he said without skipping a beat. “Look, the fact that the year I passed was the year you were my Instructor says something about your skills.”

 

Quistis laughed again, curling against him. But he felt something wet on his cheek.

 

“It's not you,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “It was never about you. It's about me. I'm not... I'm not good enough.”

 

“Fuck. Those. Shitty. Bastards,” said Seifer clearly. He pulled back a bit so he could look her in the eyes, and the sight of her lowered lashes glimmering with tears made him feel like he was being stabbed in the chest.

 

“Take it from me,” he said quietly, brushing her hair from her face. “They never see the best of you.”

 

Quistis only sighed. Not knowing what else to say, Seifer kissed her forehead and her cheek and stoked her hair until she relaxed enough to fall asleep. Only then did he close his eyes and drift off.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Seifer's last line is pretty much the entire reason that I ended up writing so much. I think if anybody would know the sting of trying to hard and falling short just when you think things are alright, it would be him.

 

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	30. Chapter 30

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27 February 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

“Did you really think she would say yes?” Alia asked Brount as she watched him drown his sorrows—or more accurately, his cereal—in cinnamon and nutmeg. “Come on, Brount.”

 

“You weren't there,” Brount said, trying not to sound petulant. But it still hurt. “It was the _way_ she said it. She was so...definite.”

 

“Quistis Trepe knows her own mind,” said Nina with a little shrug. She was of the opinion that boys couldn't be real Trepies since most of them just wanted to bang the Instructor and silently she cemented Brount's place in the 'poser' pile. A real Trepie would accept Quistis's decision, not make it all about his hurt feelings.

 

“No she doesn't,” muttered Brount, making the girls look at him in annoyance. The three of them were eating breakfast in the cafeteria before classes began, which promised to be awkward for Brount at least; he sat in the front row. It was not going to be easy gazing at the object of his desire knowing that she had exactly zero regard for him. Nina and Alia had sympathy, but it was small.

 

“Ugh, there's Almasy,” Alia said suddenly, ducking her head. “Hide me.”

 

“What are you hiding for, Goody Two-Shoes?” Nina asked, amused.

 

“I _may_ have let the faculty know there was unauthorized use of magic in the dorms yesterday.”

 

“What?” Nina exclaimed softly. “Why would you do that? Did you not see him?” To Brount, Nina said, “It was _epic._ He made an ice slide down the middle of the hallway and then—what is wrong with your face?”

 

“What?”

 

“Your face,” Nina repeated, making Alia look at Brount closely. “It got all shrunken and weird.”

 

Nina glanced around, following Brount's line of sight. Seifer had completely bypassed the breakfast line and was walking around in the kitchen behind the lunch ladies' backs, picking out what he wanted with no regard to anyone else, not that anyone in the line could see him since there was a pot rack in the way.

 

“Oh. Him.” Nina sighed. “Well look at it this way, Brount, if _he_ can make it into SeeD then you definitely will. This just wasn't your time, that's all.”

 

“I'm not pissed about him making it into SeeD,” Brount grumbled, mixing his cereal with a vengeance.

 

“I am,” Alia muttered. She hadn't been able to take the test due to low grades. “How the hell did he do better than me? I saw the grade on his last quiz. It was a 78. A 78! I got a 89!”

 

“What is he doing, packing for the apocalypse?” Nina wondered aloud. The three Trepies watched Seifer put apples in his pocket and then wrap a few rolls in a large napkin that he also put in his other pocket. To their surprise, he also picked up two hardboiled eggs, toast that got wrapped into another napkin, and a few packets of blackberry jam. The last items were secured with a slightly furtive look on his face.

 

“Huh,” said Nina as Seifer walked out of the cafeteria. “That was weird.”

 

“He must eat the same kind of breakfast that Instructor Trepe does,” said Alia. “You can't support a frame like that without a lot of protein.”

 

Brount stood up abruptly. The girls looked at him in surprise, but there was a look of gleaming purpose on his face that startled them even more. “Come on,” he said, abandoning his breakfast.

 

“What—”

 

“Brount! Where are you going?”

 

Brount all but ran outside. Nina jammed her toast into her mouth while Alia slurped the last of her juice and followed in hot pursuit. They nearly ran past their friend as he snuck down the walkway.

 

“Why are we stalking Almasy?” Alia asked Brount as they clustered, crouching behind the low-railed path that led from the Cafeteria to the central ring. They watched the DC leader get into the elevator and go up past the second floor. At once Brount sprang for the emergency stairs and bounded up them two and three at a time, the girls struggling to keep up. He seemed possessed.

 

They ran up the emergency stairs to the third floor, but once there Brount cracked the door open and peered through the slit. The girls wriggled themselves so they could see what he was looking at.

 

“Oh wow, an empty hallway,” said Nina, making Brount shush her.

 

“Brount, what is going on?” Alia whispered. “We're gonna be late for class. You _know_ how Instructor Trepe hates that.”

 

Brount hissed. At first the girls thought he was trying to shush them, but then Seifer came out into the hall with a small duffel bag. As the door slid shut behind him, they saw a flash of light off a nameplate that read “Trepe”.

 

“He...” Alia gasped, going pale. “He came out of her room. He went _into_ her room! How?”

 

“He must have a key,” said Nina, stunned.

 

Silence reigned in the stairwell. As Seifer headed back to the elevator, Brount ran down the stairs and this time the girls were not far behind. Nearly tripping over each other, they reached the first floor just in time to see the flash of Seifer's white coat vanishing into the dormitory wing.

 

Brount started to run and Nina too, but Alia grabbed them and yanked them back into the stairwell. “No,” she squeaked, her face almost white with shock. “No. We'll be late.”

 

“This is way more important than class!” Nina exclaimed, pushing Alia's hand off.

 

“She'll be so mad—”

 

“If she's even there!” Brount snapped, shocking both of the girls again. Shoving Alia's hand away, he ran out into the hall. Nina looked at Alia, a feeling of foreboding growing in her stomach.

 

“I'm going after him,” she said to Alia, who looked wretched with anxiety. “He looks a little crazy. Tell us what we miss in class.”

 

The halls were all but empty, with the majority of students already headed to or in class. Nina ran past a few stragglers, her eyes on her friend's vanishing back. She arrived just in time to see Brount disappear into the SeeD wing and the feeling of foreboding swelled into overdrive. Nina ran into the wing and then nearly smashed into Brount, who was hiding around the edge and peering down the hall. It was not hard to see who he was hiding from; Seifer stood in the hallway, his gaze suspicious and half over his shoulder. Nina nearly ran right into his line of sight but managed to stop just in time, half-hiding behind Brount himself.

 

Not sure why she was holding her breath, Nina nevertheless did not exhale until Seifer unlocked the door to his room and went in. As soon as the door slid shut, Brount began to sneak down the hall. And Nina decided that was enough. Not because Seifer Almasy had been known to punch people without warning (and hard, too; rumor had it that he KO'd a teacher on the training ground when he was 16), but mostly because Brount was acting nuts and Nina was starting to get scared.

 

“No,” she hissed, grabbing him by the back of the belt. She set her stance and dug in her heels, stopping Brount in his tracks. “No! Bad idea!”

 

“I'm not going in after him,” Brount hissed back.

 

“Don't care! Still a bad idea!”

 

Brount abruptly leaned back and the sudden loss of tension made Nina stagger; freed, Brount ran lightly to Seifer's door and put his ear against it. Nina grabbed her head and screamed silently as Brount listened intently.

 

She also saw when he went pale.

 

“What?” Nina hissed. Brount stepped away from the door, his face haggard. “What?”

 

Brount stumbled past her down the hall. Now afire with curiosity, Nina crept up to Seifer's door and put her ear on it. Almost immediately she yanked her head back, her hands flying to her mouth in shock.

 

“ _Oh...no. No. NO.”_

 

Because she could hear Quistis Trepe _laughing_ inside Seifer Almasy's room.

 

“ _NO WAY!”_

 

When Nina spun around to see what Brount was doing, he was gone from the hallway. Nina caught up with him on the dormitory steps, where he sat with his head in his hands. She had no idea what to say to him. It was one thing that Quistis didn't return his affections (because that was a _long_ shot) but to find out that she was sharing them with someone else...

 

...the someone else that nearly all the Trepies hated because of all the shit he'd pulled in her class over the past year...

 

Well, no wonder it looked like Brount was going to throw up.

 

“...Let's go to class,” said Nina, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Study will take your mind off things.”

 

Nina had to practically lead Brount back to class and when they arrived, they were not surprised to find a sub in Instructor Trepe's place. They got dressed down for tardiness and assigned laps around the Garden, which Nina immediately objected to.

 

“Instructor Trepe never gives us—”

 

“Quistis Trepe is no longer an Instructor!” snapped the red-robed faculty member. Nina gasped aloud in shock, her hands flying to her face. Brount's focus came back like a thunderclap, making his eyes go wide. “Which you would have known had you come to class on time. Now sit down. I said _sit down—”_

 

“Brount!” Alia cried as Brount, shaking and his face turning redder by the second, rushed out of the classroom.

 

“Oh shit,” Nina blurted out. For a second she was torn; let Brount make an ass of himself alone or try and stop him because he'd make an ass out of himself and worse, publicly humiliate Quistis?

 

“ _We have no idea when her thing with Seifer started. We don't even know what the thing is! She hasn't told us! If Brount has his way, he'll make up something_ horrible _because he just got his heart broken! I can't let that happen to Quistis!”_

 

So Nina ran out of class too. This time she knew where Brount was going and caught up to him before he could reach the stairs. With an impressive flying tackle Nina knocked him to the floor and restrained him with a hold that she'd learned in Advanced Martial Arts. Brount specialized in para-magic and didn't stand a chance.

 

“Let go of me!” He shouted as the class came boiling out into the hallway.

 

“Not a chance!” Nina shouted back, though the footsteps behind her made her cringe a bit. Putting her head by Brount's, Nina whispered, “And if you know what's good for you, you'll shut up. If Miss Trepe doesn't kill you for embarrassing her, I will.”

 

“He _ruined_ her,” Brount whispered as the class started to catch up to them.

 

“She makes her own decisions,” Nina hissed before she felt people trying to pull her off. “Respect them!”

 

“Headmaster's Office, both of you!” The faculty sub shouted as he ran down the hall toward them, the yellow disk over his face vibrating with temper. “I have never seen such a disgraceful display! Upstairs, now!”

 

“I'll make sure they get there,” said Alia, making the sub nod. Taking her two friends by the arms, she pulled them into the elevator and hit the button for the third floor. Brount sagged against the elevator wall, his head thudding back. Alia looked at Nina in worry, while Nina brushed off her arms and half-glared at Brount.

 

“So...” Alia asked hesitantly. “What...”

 

“He's _fucking_ her,” Brount whispered, sounding agonized.

 

“We don't know anything,” said Nina sharply. “Because she hasn't told us. We're not going to start _rumors_ , are we?”

 

“They're not rumors if they're true!” Brount shouted, making the girls jump. “I...I...” He grabbed his head. “I saw them!”

 

“What?” Nina exclaimed while Alia asked, “Who?”

 

“It was last Friday,” Brount whispered, closing his eyes. “The day he got detention for fighting with Leonhart. I was going to confess then because she looked so frustrated with everything and I thought... But then I went back and they were... They were...”

 

Nina cringed. Alia tilted her head blankly but then half-screamed as the facts clicked together in her head.

 

“And now he's a SeeD and she's lost her job...” Brount whispered, his voice cracking. “How is that fair? He _ruined_ her. If he'd just stayed away, she'd be fine.”

 

“Quistis Trepe makes her own decisions,” said Nina firmly, even rattled as she was. It was incredibly hard not to imagine tall, hulking Seifer Almasy looming over the relatively delicate and graceful Miss Trepe, and even as Nina's stomach flipflopped unpleasantly at the thought of _him_ around her in any sort of way, Nina reminded herself that Quistis had been laughing in his room; she'd definitely wanted to be there. “We don't have to like them, we just have to respect them. We're not her bosses, we're her friends. So what do we do when our friend is happy?”

 

“What do we do when our friend is making a horrible mistake?” Brount demanded, making Alia squeak with his shout. Nina was not so easily cowed.

 

“We sit down, we shut up, and we tell her that all we want is her happiness, because that is _perfectly true,”_ Nina half-shouted back. As the doors dinged open, Nina said to Brount, “If you try telling on her to the Headmaster, I swear to Heaven, Hell, and Hyne Himself that _I will deck you_.”

 

Brount's eyes flashed, but he set his mouth in a line and looked away. Alia just wrung her hands.

 

The Headmaster was not in, but the Assistant Headmaster was. In a way this was worse because Xu was known to be one of Quistis's friends and also thoroughly unimpressed with Seifer Almasy, so the three Trepies had no idea what to do. Alia was not technically in trouble, but she hovered outside the door and listened in, half-terrified what she might miss if she didn't bend the rules just this once.

 

“I've been told that the two of you were fighting in the hall,” said Xu. “What about?”

 

“Brount told a girl he liked her and she had a boyfriend already,” said Nina promptly. “But he didn't know that, so he got upset and ran out of class. I tried to stop him by tackling him. It wasn't really a fight.”

 

“Is this true?” Xu asked, looking at Brount.

 

Brount nodded stiffly. Then before Nina could stop him, the darkskinned boy blurted out, “I want to contest SeeD Almasy's status.”

 

“On what grounds?” Xu asked as Nina gaped at him.

 

“On... On academic integrity.”

 

Xu was sitting at her desk, the two students in front of her. She leaned back and tilted her head, her eyes narrowing.

 

“Interesting,” she said, making Nina pale a bit. “We've stripped SeeDs of their status before, but usually because of things like 'rape' and 'excessive civilians casualties'. What has SeeD Almasy done that's on the same level in the two days since his inauguration?”

 

Brount opened and closed his mouth, his face reddening.

 

“Assistant Headmaster, can I ask why SeeD Trepe is no longer an Instructor?” Nina asked quickly.

 

Xu's gaze flickered and she sighed quietly. “SeeD Trepe did not display the necessary leadership ability that we require from our Instructors. And no, admiration doesn't count. She'll be free to reapply at any time, but her contract has not been renewed for the upcoming year.”

 

“But that's not fair,” Brount said, making Nina shoot a warning glance at him. “She's worked so hard!”

 

“If we rewarded based on effort, that would be taken into consideration,” said Xu. “However, we are SeeD, the elite mercenary force. And we care about results. SeeD Trepe did not produce the necessary results.”

 

“Because she was distracted by—”

 

“Shut up, Brount!” Nina raised her fist threateningly.

 

Xu's eyes flicked from Nina to Brount and back again. “Take your assigned punishment immediately,” said Xu, sitting forward in her chair. “And... Brount, is it? I'd advise you to think very carefully about what you say about this situation. SeeDs must be discreet, and if that's too difficult, you will be permanently sent home. Have I made myself clear?”

 

“Yes, Assistant Headmaster,” said Brount, but Xu held his gaze until he looked away.

 

“Good,” said Xu, sitting back in her chair. “Dismissed.”

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Mwehehehe.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	31. Chapter 31

/\/\/\/\/\

28 February 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

Habit made Quistis wake up at 6am. Her usual schedule allowed for an hour of conditioning and weapons practice before breakfast, and then a leisurely two hours to prepare for the teaching day. Usually Quistis woke up easily and quickly, but today a light headache made her frown and curl against Seifer's shoulder. Right now, sleeping in sounded like—

 

\--wait.

 

WAIT.

 

Quistis came awake with a thunderbolt of shock. With her first breath she knew she was not in her room, that there was another person in bed with her, and oh look, it was Seifer and he was _naked._ They both were.

 

“ _Holy Hyne, last night actually happened.”_

 

Quistis blushed, remembering the intense charge from last night. Even thinking about the way Seifer had been kissing her made her breath come short, and for a moment it was like she could feel the traces of his touch all over her body; it seemed like there was no inch of her he hadn't graced with hands or lips or tongue. Wow. Nevertheless Quistis still trembled a bit at the sheer ridiculousness of her actions. She remembered tearing at his clothes, begging him for sex and taking ruthless advantage of his attraction. What had she been thinking?

 

“ _I wasn't thinking. I just didn't want to feel like a failure for a while.”_

 

What an ugly little thought. Quistis winced as she started to remember more emotions from the previous night, the manic excitement fluttering over a dull core of despair and a trembling sort of fear that felt like real affection. Remembering how solicitous and caring Seifer had been made her feel even worse and Quistis started to ease herself away from Seifer, feeling like she needed to get out before he realized he'd been used. It would be easy to get away before things got awkward. Seifer was deeply unconscious, lying on his front with his face hidden underneath a pillow, and Quistis noted with some surprise that he had a tattoo. More accurately he had what would on women be called a tramp stamp, and for a while Quistis forgot to move, so utterly perplexed was she by this particular choice of body modification.

 

“ _What is that?”_ she thought, unconsciously reaching out to touch the mark. It looked like a strange triangle knot, and done very simply in red and black, Quistis had to admit it was a classy if oddly placed piece. As she traced the lines of the palm-sized tattoo with the tip of her finger, she heard Seifer inhale deeply before pulling his head out from under the pillow. And that was the extent of his movement.

 

“Morning,” he murmured, eyes still closed. Despite everything Quistis smirked; he was obviously not a morning person.

 

“Good morning,” Quistis murmured back, feeling a hot little surge of pleasure shiver through her. She'd never thought she'd trust anyone enough or be comfortable enough to wake up next to someone. So there was at least this new experience of falling asleep with someone she liked... And it hadn't been so bad. She'd slept very well.

 

“Gonna leave me?” Seifer asked, making her heart skip a beat. He said it like he expected it, which made Quistis feel like a coward for trying to escape.

 

“...no,” said Quistis, lying back down. “This is just new. I don't know what to think yet.”

 

“No thinking. Sleep.”

 

Quistis laughed softly and then again at a normal volume as Seifer pulled her to him and rolled in such a way so she was half-pinned underneath him. She jumped a bit as she felt something hot and hard pressing along her leg; there was apparently truth to 'morning wood' after all. The feel of his erection made Quistis squirm a little bit and Seifer inhaled deeply again, seeming to come more awake.

 

“You okay?” He asked her, his face tucked against her cheek and neck.

 

“I don't know,” she said softly.

 

“You feel good?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“That's good.” Seifer didn't say anything for a long time and Quistis began to think he'd fallen back asleep when he said, “If it was bad, we'll do it 'til we get it right.”

 

“It was far from bad,” Quistis said, stroking his hair, her heart hurting with amusement. “I just feel...dishonest.”

 

“Why?”

 

Her voice dropped to a near whisper. “I felt so bad yesterday about work things, and then we were at the ball and I was drinking... I just felt bad and I used you to make me feel better. I'm sorry.”

 

Seifer made a noise like a tired growl. “Did you have a good time?”

 

“I did, but—”

 

“No buts.”

 

“Seifer—”

 

“I'll fuck every single bad feeling out of you,” he said, lifting his head from the mattress. Eyes hazy and face soft from sleep, Quistis thought that he'd rarely looked so appealing. “And trust me, I'll be happy to do it.”

 

He had such a one-track mind. But as Quistis laughed at the annoyed and yet lust-filled look on his face, she thought that maybe it wasn't such a bad thing.

 

“Then do it,” she told him. She couldn't help but smile as Seifer pushed himself up onto his arms, blinking the sleep from his eyes as a slow smile went over his lips.

 

“You're gonna get it now,” he said, sliding down the bed. The gliding of his skin against hers made Quistis blush, but the touch of his mouth on her breast made her cry out softly. She could almost feel his sleepiness burning off as his attentions became more detailed, glossing over anything that didn't make her squirm. The mild headache she'd woken up with disappeared as Seifer toyed with her to a fever pitch. She wanted more, but the words seemed to stick without alcohol to loosen them. So Quistis pushed on Seifer's shoulders instead, hoping he would get the message. She felt his chuckle go through her chest.

 

“Turn over,” he told her. She complied and heard him moving around again. When she heard a little crinkle she shivered despite herself and of course, Seifer being Seifer, he noticed immediately. “No?”

 

“No. I mean... Yes.” She huffed, unconsciously clenching the sheets. It was easier to talk when she wasn't looking at him. “Nervous. That's all.”

 

“Did I hurt you last night?” He asked, his voice soft and tinged with a certain awkward concern.

 

“No.”

 

“Then this isn't going to hurt either,” he said. Seifer dragged Quistis up onto her knees and fingered her from behind, one hand on her hip still as she gasped and writhed. It amazed him how easily the Ice Queen melted with the right pressure. When he lined himself up and pressed against her, he saw her shiver with anticipation. Seifer eased into her, groaning softly at how good she felt, and Quistis's shivering turned to panting that terminated in a soft moan when he was completely inside.

 

Somehow in this position the pleasure felt sharper and more intense, and Quistis buried her face in the sheets as every thrust seemed to make noise burst out of her. Seifer seemed very far away, making her hyperaware of the contact between their bodies and how little control she had in this position. It didn't seem like a bad thing as she felt herself tumbling into the deepening well of sensation, so large and all-encompassing that she literally couldn't think of anything except _“More. I want more.”_ Quistis wasn't even aware that she'd spoken aloud until she felt Seifer's weight pushing her flat to the bed, and his whisper in her ear as he said, “Don't worry, there's plenty more.”

 

Even though Seifer was resting most of his weight on her, Quistis was still pushing her hips back to meet his and the force of her desire spurred him on. He drove into her harder and harder, encouraged as her cries became louder, threatening to be heard through the thin dormitory walls. Seifer swore as the best of pressure started to overcome him and as he felt himself falling over the edge he swept his hand underneath Quistis's hips, between her legs, and rubbed circles over her wet clit until she cried out and shook beneath him. Seifer let out a sound that was half pleasure and half relief. Fleetingly he remembered once when he'd finished before a girl (what was her name?) and left her wanting, and the memory of that look of disgusted annoyance still made him wince. Knowing Quistis, however, she wouldn't say anything and just hold it silently against him...forever.

 

“ _She's still so damn bad at saying what she wants,”_ he thought as they settled back down again. Nevertheless he smiled as she kissed his cheek and neck, soft warm little things that felt like being patted by a cat. When she at last curled against him, he imagined a happy purr.

 

The next thing Seifer heard was the peeping of the alarm clock. With a muttered swear he slid out of bed and shut the stupid thing off; he was a SeeD now and didn't have classes unless he wanted them. With a rue smile he realized that Quistis didn't have classes either, but that was for an entirely different and not as fun reason. She was sleeping peacefully now, curled into the hollow where he had been. As Seifer fitted himself around her, he felt her yawn and stir into wakefulness.

 

“Good morning,” she said for the second time.

 

“Morning,” he replied, stifling a yawn. As much as he loved the smell of her hair, he didn't want to end up with a mouthful of it.

 

“What's the time?”

 

“7:30.”

 

“That late already?”

 

Seifer opened his mouth to make some sort of smart remark, but then his stomach growled loudly and Seifer grimaced. He hadn't eaten anything since before the party and hadn't had anything except alcohol.

 

“I'm going to get something to eat,” he said. “What do you want?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“You're hungry too, aren't you?”

 

“...I suppose.” Damn it, was she being all weird and depressed again? How many times did he have to fuck her before she started to smile? “I usually eat hardboiled eggs and toast, but—”

 

“Got it.”

 

“You don't have to go.”

 

“I want to eat. Sooner's better than later,” said Seifer, rolling out of bed.

 

“I should go with you.”

 

“If you want, but the only thing you have is your dress,” he said, eyeing the pile of glittering fabric on the floor.

 

“...oh.” Quistis curled into the sheets. She _had_ been out of it last night. “Um... My keycard's in my dress. Do you mind going to my room and—”

 

“Nah,” said Seifer as he started to put his clothes on. As he scooped Quistis's keycard off the floor and tucked it into his shirt pocket, he added, “But there's a no-panty tax for the inconvenience.”

 

Quistis started laughing and Seifer smiled. Unexpected fondness made him tuck the blankets up around her neck and chin before he left.

 

When he went to the communal bathroom to wash up, the sound of retching made him recoil slightly. Morbidly curious, Seifer went into the bathroom and saw Zell stumbling out of a stall, looking worse than Seifer had ever seen him.

 

“MORNING,” Seifer said loudly, watching as Zell turned gray. Clutching his head with one hand, the blonde flipped him off with the other.

 

“Friggin... Iced... Tea...” Zell gasped.

 

“How many did you have?”

 

“Two.”

 

“Dumbass.”

 

“Hate you.” Zell lifted his head. “But I won the karaoke competition, so _you_ can suck it.”

 

“The _what?”_

 

“The karaoke competition.” Zell started to smile a bit. “It was great... Selphie sang this really rude song with all the hand gestures and Nida got a nosebleed. And I think Squall facepalmed so hard that he has this red mark on his face. And then I won. Where were you?”

 

“None of your business,” said Seifer as he started to wash up.

 

“Ohh... OHH!” Zell grabbed his head again, but this time with both hands. “Man. You were doing it, weren't you?”

 

Seifer ignored him as he brushed his teeth. There wasn't really any good way to respond to him that wouldn't get him slapped if it got back to Quistis. However, Zell was a trained martial artist and as clueless as he could be about verbal personal interactions, the blond boy was automatically assessing the languid ease in Seifer's body language and already cringing, knowing what it meant.

 

“That's messed up,” said Zell as Seifer spat toothpaste foam from his mouth and started to wash his face. “She's a teacher. She's _your_ teacher.”

 

“Not anymore,” said Seifer, wiping the water off his face.

 

“ _I'm probably the only one she told about not being an Instructor... Not my news to break.”_

 

Aloud Seifer said, “SeeDs don't have to take Procedure and Protocol.”

 

“Oh yeah...” Zell mulled over that for a while. “I guess it's not wrong then.”

 

“That's right,” said Seifer patronizingly. As he left the bathroom he patted Zell on the head, making the shorter boy growl. “There's some hope for you after all... Chicken-wuss.”

 

“ **If you call me that one more time** —”

 

Seifer laughed and left, knowing Zell was not in any shape to chase him. A quick trip down to the cafeteria netted him breakfast for two and the halls were empty enough that there wasn't a line for the elevator. Quistis's room was neat enough that it was easy for Seifer to find a bag and a spare uniform for Quistis to wear, and just before he left he happened to notice the Taciel Trilogy sitting on her nightstand. On impulse Seifer put the books in the duffel bag too and went back to his room.

 

“Eggs and toast for you, apples and rolls for me,” he said as he came back. Quistis was sitting up when he arrived and Seifer took a moment to admire how pretty she looked in just a sheet. She blushed rosily when he grinned at her.

 

“And clothes,” he said, setting the duffel down on the floor. He was a little disappointed when she went for the bag immediately but didn't think much on it; he was hungry and she was probably a little cold.

 

“I can't believe it,” she said as she pulled her uniform out. “You were serious about the no-panty tax.”

 

“Well yeah,” said Seifer as he pulled food from his pockets and set Quistis's breakfast on the desk. He had to set the eggs on top of the toast to keep them from rolling around. “And there's a no-bra surcharge for breakfast.”

 

Quistis laughed. “You're terrible. Oh! And you took my books.”

 

“I just want to reread my favorite parts,” he said, watching her dress as he ate. A few easy motions made her magically respectable again, though Seifer realized belatedly that he'd forgotten a hair clip. No matter: as Quistis put up her hair in its usual flip with the sparkly pins from last night, he said, “You know... We could just read all day. We don't have to go out and do anything.”

 

“That's very tempting,” said Quistis. There was only one chair, so they sat on his bed to eat. “But if I'm going back in the field, there are some assessments I need to take, so I should schedule those at once.”

 

“Fine,” said Seifer. “The movie's only going to cover the first book anyway. There'll be enough to talk about.”

 

Quistis glanced at him and smiled slowly, her gaze softening. “That's right,” she said softly. “That's tomorrow, isn't it?”

 

“Yes,” said Seifer, feeling the weirdest thrill of anticipation going through his veins. This was real now. They were actually going to see what they could be.

 

“ _Don't fuck this up,”_ he told himself sternly. The last time he'd liked a girl enough to watch a movie with her, it had been Rinoa. And he hadn't been able to shut off the part of him that saw through bullshit and picked apart story elements, which had resulted in an incomplete movie and Rinoa trying to smother him with a pillow. Quistis no doubt knew more effective methods of silencing, ones he'd never see coming.

 

Trying to keep his voice light and casual, Seifer said, “I was thinking we'd catch dinner before, if we're still seeing the 8pm show.”

 

“ _He still wants to spend time with me...”_ Quistis thought, a little surprised and a lot excited, though the latter still shivered in disbelief. _“Good... That's really good. Because I definitely want more of last night and this morning, and not just sex...”_

 

...but consideration, thoughtfulness, talking openly about all sorts of subjects...

 

“ _This actually might be really good...”_

 

But aloud Quistis said, “That sounds good. Why don't we eat at Cafe Fish? It's near the theater, isn't it?”

 

“Bit pricey, don't you think?” Seifer said, actually thinking of how poncey the food seemed—just call it a damn fishcake, not a 'Balamb Fish filet delicately combined with citrus mayonnaise and topped with asparagus and peas'.

 

Quistis patted his leg. “Don't worry,” she said, eyes twinkling. “I'll cover you.”

 

The fuck? “That's not what I—”

 

“I'm salaried. Let me do this. You get the tickets.”

 

Propriety argued with sensibility; actually, he wasn't sure if he'd still get a Committee stipend now that he was a SeeD. And the Ward stipend wasn't that much either.

 

“ _I don't know what I'm saving up for, but I don't want to blow it all before I find out...”_

 

“Still backwards,” Seifer muttered, biting into his apple. “But the first time I get paid, I'm taking you out for a fancy dinner. Dress, tux, flowers, the works.” He looked at her suspiciously when she laughed softly. “What?”

 

“Nothing, just...” Quistis couldn't exactly say that she just couldn't imagine him being so romantic. She lo—liked that he could surprise her so often. “I look forward to it.”

 

“Good,” said Seifer, pleased. _“Thank Hyne, she doesn't want to run away as soon as she's gotten sex over with. I guess she could if she wanted to... But I'm not nearly through with her yet. There's so much more to learn...”_

 

They ate in silence for a whle, both of them trying not to gaze at each other and then blushing or laughng self-consciously when they caught the other doing it. Still, life crept on, and after taking her time cleaning up (no eggshells in the bed), Quistis folded her dress into the duffel and sighed.

 

“Back to the grindstone,” she said. Her back was to Seifer as he stretched out along his bed, the first Taciel book in his hands, and so she didn't see when he eyed her speculatively and then reached out. She _did_ feel when he grabbed her behind and squeezed, making her jump and whip around, automatically clapping her hands over his desired target area. Seifer just smirked and settled back onto the bed.

 

“What did I say about not grabbing me any old time?” She asked him, nevertheless smiling at the look on his face.

 

“Sorry,” said Seifer insincerely. “But turnabout is fair play. You can grab anything on me that you like.”

 

Quistis started laughing at the lasciviously hopeful look on his face and then laughed harder as he waggled his eyebrows in a deliberately exaggerated manner. Still, when Seifer slung his legs off the bed and came for her, Quistis immediately backed up, almost tripping over the duffel bag.

 

“Stop it,” she told him, her voice mock-stern. “I have to go places.”

 

“You can still go places,” he said, walking her up to the door until her back hit the surface of it. He knew he was being pushy, but he thought he had a good enough sense of what Quistis would and would not let him do that he _could_ push it a little. “But I think you're walking just a little too normally.”

 

“What are ymmf—” Quistis sighed as Seifer kissed her deeply, seemingly to press against her like a deep breath of pure relief. Endorphins ran high in her blood, making her think, _“We could never get away with this if I had to teach...”_

 

She gasped as he started to kiss down her neck and then take the collar of her jacket in his teeth to tug lightly, making her tie pull just a little out of place. Quistis tapped him on the shoulder. “Don't mess up my clothes.”

 

“I won't,” he said, his breath low and warm. “It wouldn't do to give the game away...”

 

Somehow he managed to find her nipples under the thick uniform fabric and run his fingertips over them, making Quistis gasp shakily as hot sensation seemed to pour through her veins like water. She was powerfully aware of the rough glide of fabric over her bare skin, highlighting the fact that underneath her uniform, she was _naked;_ she felt Seifer's entire body flex slowly with impatience as he slid one leg between hers and ground against her, pressing her against the door and making her go slightly up on her toes to extend the long press of pleasure. Quistis clutched his shirt underneath his long coat, dragging her nails down his back as the enjoyment inside her started to become need.

 

“Aren't you tired?” Quistis asked breathlessly.

 

“Hell no,” he said, pulling back. His eyes were gleaming. “Are you?”

 

“...I'm a little sore,” she admitted and immediately the pressure eased as Seifer leaned back. Quistis wasn't actually sore, but she was a little overwhelmed at all the physical sensation and needed to take a few minutes to get her head back on straight.

 

“Then I guess my job is done,” he said lightly. Quistis laughed and then blushed as he kissed her on the forehead. “Can I see you later?”

 

“Yes,” she said, feeling a little thrill. “Umm...”

 

“What?”

 

“C-c-come to m-my room around 6,” she said, making Seifer stare at her. “We can, um... Uh... I... Well...”

 

“Ah, don't hurt yourself,” he said, nevertheless starting to grin. He kissed her warmly but not insistently, making Quistis sigh with relief. “See you at 6.”

 

Quistis left, still hazy with happiness and her skin buzzing with anticipation. It was difficult for her to walk normally between the complete lack of under-clothing and the slight soreness inside, but unexpectedly she found herself smiling. The loss of her Instructorship seemed almost welcome in light of her new free time; she never would have been able to indulge like she had if she'd had to teach . With the majority of the Garden's population in class, there was no one to look at Quistis oddly as she walked back to her room and for a while she thought she could escape without notice. However, as soon as she stepped off the elevator and started to walk to her room, she saw Xu.

 

“Hey,” said Xu, waving at her. “Come here, I want to talk to you.”

 

“ _Damn,”_ thought Quistis, acutely aware of her missing undergarments. Would anyone be able to tell?

 

“Let me put my things down,” said Quistis, making Xu nod. “Your office?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

A few minutes later Quistis sat in Xu's office, properly attired from head to toe and her hair once more in its professional clip. Xu also looked very professional, which was due mostly to the serious expression on her face. Quistis braced herself, anticipating some sort of lecture about Seifer.

 

“How ready do you think you are to go back into the field?” Xu asked instead.

 

“I can leave at any time,” said Quistis, cocking her head. She'd consciously kept herself in fighting trim during the school year, so there was no question about her physical abilities.

 

“Okay, good.” Xu picked up a file from her desk and handed it to Quistis. “We've received a request from the head of Galbadia Garden. It's... Well, it's not my first choice for your first mission, but you're still one of the best when it comes to assassinations and you have unique experience with the location.”

 

“The head of Galbadia Garden wants someone dead?” Quistis asked with a frown. As she took the folder, she asked, “Doesn't he have SeeDs of his own?”

 

“There are less than thirty Galbadian SeeDs in existence,” said Xu, making Quistis look up in surprise. “Most of their students go straight into the military. You know that.”

 

“I know, I just didn't think there were so few...” Quistis opened the file and scanned the parameters. “So, assassination.”

 

“Right,” said Xu. “You're already familiar with the Galbadian Presidential Palace from your field exam and currently no other SeeD knows the layout of the space. You're going with one other SeeD as backup. My read is that you'll need a heavy who does well in close quarters and has no problem with blood. If this goes south, there'll be a lot of it.”

 

Quistis looked up from the file. “You want me to bring a heavy,” she said flatly.

 

“Right.”

 

“A close-quarters heavy who has no problem with blood.”

 

“Yep,” said Xu, blinking like a cat.

 

Quistis closed the file. “Xu, this is not being supportive.”

 

“What's not being supportive?”

 

“Sending me and Seifer on the same mission.”

 

“Oh, Seifer's a close-quarters heavy with a taste for gore? Fancy that.” When Quistis glared, Xu glared right back. The older woman tapped her finger on her desk, saying, “He needs the experience, his stats indicate he'll be great backup, and I want to see how he works in the field.” Tilting her head, she said, “I thought you'd like the alone time.”

 

Quistis huffed. “And I'd appreciate it more if I didn't get the feeling you were trying to shove us off.”

 

“Shove you off?” Xu suddenly started laughing. “Holy Hyne, Qu, do you actually believe that superstition?”

 

“No,” said Quistis, folding her arms, but Xu only laughed and clapped her hands. “I don't!”

 

“Oh, you're just adorable,” said Xu, making Quistis bristle a little. “You two will be fine. It's an in-and-out all things considered. How much trouble can one ambassador be?”

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: If the reviews don't go up in flames after this chapter, I am not doing it right. MWAHAHAHAHA  
  


Zell won the karaoke contest with "Take On Me". Selphie almost won it with "Too Many Dicks on the Dancefloor".

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

 


	32. Chapter 32

/\/\/\/\/\

1 March 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

Taciel and Jon were in the middle of one of their spats when a knock at the door pulled Seifer out of fiction and back into life. Not bothering to get up from bed, he shouted, “Who's there?”

 

“It's me,” called Quistis.

 

“Can't stay away, huh?” Seifer set the book aside and rolled off the bed, grinning. But as he opened the door, he found serious Quistis looking up at him with a file in her hand. At once his skin prickled. “Whoa. Already?”

 

“Already,” she said. “Take a read through and get packed. I've got our stipend and a car down to Balamb in about an hour. We're—”

 

“Hang on. _We're?”_

 

“Yes,” said Quistis, straightening her glasses.

 

“You and I are going on a mission together?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Seifer shook the file slightly. “Who assigned us this?”

 

“Xu.”

 

“Figures.” To Quistis's surprise, he grinned. “If she thinks we're going to blow up after working together, she'll be very disappointed. I think we'll be going on that fancy dinner sooner than we thought.”

 

“No,” said Quistis sternly, making him blink in surprise. “This is a mission. Our reputation and the Garden's reputation depends on it. This is no ordinary request, Seifer; it comes from the headmaster of Galbadia Garden.”

 

“Martine?” Only Seifer would use the man's name like he was a personal acquaintance. “Huh. Guess he can't do his own dirty work. What do I need?”

 

“It's an assassination, so...be prepared.” Quistis unconsciously clenched her hands into fists at the memory of her first assassination, her field test. “You're my backup in case things go wrong, though hopefully this is going to go off without incident.”

 

“Right...” Seifer opened the file. She saw him starting to read, but then his gaze stopped on something. He frowned. “What the...?”

 

“What is it?”

 

“...nothing,” he said, shaking his head slightly. “Just... The target looks like someone I used to know.”

 

“Get that image out of your head,” said Quistis, making Seifer look at her in surprise again. “If you're compromised, I will replace you.”

 

Seifer snapped the folder shut, his gaze hardening. “Don't worry about me,” he said evenly. “I'm just the backup. So how are you planning to kill her, SeeD Trepe? A whip seems a little messy.”

 

“The details are in the file,” said Quistis, refusing to rise to the bait. Anxiety rose underneath a filmy layer of irritation; were things going wrong already? “And one more thing. We're going to have to do something about that scar.”

 

“It's not like I can peel it off,” said Seifer, touching the mark self-consciously.

 

“No,” said Quistis. “So it's either makeup or a mask. Pick one.”

 

“Makeup,” said Seifer, surprising her. “I'm not reducing my visibility. If something goes wrong on a mission with _you,_ then it's really wrong.”

 

Quistis tried not to feel flattered and then tried not to feel guilty. Seifer had no idea how different 'SeeD Trepe' was from 'Instructor Trepe'. SeeD Trepe scared people. SeeD Trepe had fifty-two successful missions in three years for a reason. SeeD Trepe had survived sixty missions from age 15 based on very specific ways of thinking and behaving in the field.

 

_"The real question is, how is SeeD Trepe going to behave with SeeD Almasy?"_

 

Quistis jumped as Seifer kissed her on the forehead and when she looked at him in surprise, he said, “I'll see you at the garage in an hour.”

 

“Don't be late," she said, flustered she'd lost focus for a second.

 

Seifer's face quirked in a sneer. “For my first mission? I'm not stupid.”

 

He stepped back and shut the door then, and for a while Quistis stood out in the hall feeling like she'd been the stupid one.

 

/\/\/\

 

Seifer's usual understanding of missions was that SeeDs were given a directive, some rough parameters, and then left to their own devices. Creativity in chaos was something Seifer prided himself on, so he was annoyed when he read the file and found that Martine had spelled out every last detail, down to where he and Quistis would be staying. So much for a fancy hotel and a nice dinner. Nevertheless Seifer read through the file carefully and ended up packing a few changes of clothes, some extra weapons, an emergency field kit, and his carrying and maintenance case for Hyperion. At the last second he remembered to get Quetzacoatl off his computer and check up on his magic, which was less than full. Oh well. He'd have the opportunity to collect more in the field.

 

He left his uniform in the room. This was a covert operation and they wouldn't be doing Balamb Garden any favors by plastering SeeD status all over it.

 

Before going, Seifer tracked down Fujin and Raijin; it was about lunchtime now and they were both out of classes. “First mission,” he said to them, making Raijin whoop and Fujin exclaim wordlessly in shock. “See you around.”

 

“Take care of yourself,” said Raijin, thumping him on the shoulder.

 

“COMPANY?” Fujin asked.

 

“Quistis,” said Seifer and instantly Fujin and Raijin recoiled. “What?”

 

“That...seems very bad,” said Raijin, rubbing the back of his head.

 

“If you're talking about that dumb superstition—”

 

“No, no, no.” Raijin waved his hand at Seifer. “It's just that... Well... You know how she is. All inside the lines and proper and... OW!”

 

Fujin turned to face Seifer as Raijin clutched his shin. She took a deep breath and spoke carefully, her voice staining over the clot of scar tissue in her throat that literally made talking painful. “Keep your calm. She is the best. Learn from her. Right now, she is not your girlfriend. She is your superior. Please...pay attention.”

 

“I will,” said Seifer; Fujin's words, delivered in her strained, pain-filled voice, had more weight than anything he'd ever heard in a lecture. She held his gaze as she rubbed her neck and swallowed, and when he finally bowed his head she sighed in relief.

 

“CAREFUL,” she said in her usual tone.

 

“Yeah...” said Raijin, recovering enough to stand on both feet. “Be careful. Come back in one piece, ya know?”

 

When Seifer went to the garage, he found Quistis waiting by the car, a student behind the wheel with another SeeD in the backseat. Seifer reflexively glanced at the clock in the garage to see if he was late.

 

“Right on time,” said Quistis, drawing his focus. She was wearing her pink battle dress again and her long gauntlets, and her reading glasses were nowhere to be seen. Seifer's gaze lingered on the body-skimming lines of her knit skirt and top, especially the flash of skin he saw around her navel. It was hard to keep the lewd grin off his face, though remembering they had company for the drive helped cool the fires. “Did you junction your GF?”

 

“Not yet,” said Seifer. “Makes me itchy.”

 

“The longer you have it junctioned, the easier it will be to summon,” said Quistis, sounding exactly like she had in class; however, that was all she said about the matter. Seifer put his bag and his case in the trunk, which did make Quistis look at him strangely. “You're not going to have your weapon with you?”

 

Wordlessly Seifer opened his coat and showed her the long knives he had strapped to his sides. Her mouth quirked in something that might have been annoyance or a smile as they got into the car. Seifer noted at once that Quistis's chain whip was within easy reach in a pocket in the door, where the iron flechettes would not tear the upholstery.

 

“ _Fine for her, but I'd lose seconds and power trying to draw Hyperion in such a small space... Knives are fine for now.”_

 

“Alright,” said the SeeD to the student driver. “Engine on. Clutch in. Put it in reverse... Good. Ease your foot off the clutch until we've backed up enough... Alright. Clutch in again. Now shift into first...”

 

The car shuddered and died. The student shrank a little.

 

“Sorry,” he squeaked, turning on the car again. Seifer folded his arms and looked at Quistis out of the side of his eyes; she sat with a pleasant and bland smile, hands folded in her lap and legs crossed at the ankle. And she sat like that until the student finally managed to get the car out of the garage some ten minutes later. To Seifer, it was pure torture. Fuming, he had to bite back every swear in the book as the student steered onto the HUGE-ASS ROAD leading from Balamb Garden to Balamb Town and somehow managed to drive off it. The SeeD up front facepalmed as the first wheel slipped off the road, making the car tilt over.

 

“Sorry,” the student squeaked for what seemed like the fiftieth time. How old was he, fourteen? Fifteen? Seifer growled softly under his breath, making Quistis look at him warningly until he quit making the sound.

 

“It's alright,” said Quistis, sliding across the seat to sit next to Seifer. Smiling at the student, she said, “We'll just review mission parameters.”

 

“Damn,” Seifer realized. “I packed the file in my—”

 

“I have my own copy,” said Quistis, opening it up and setting it upright on his leg. She did it so quickly and casually that Seifer didn't initially realize that it was odd, but then it occurred to him that if they laid the file flat, then the SeeD and the student would be able to glance over and see what they were doing.

 

“ _In more ways than one,”_ Seifer realized as Quistis brushed her hand over his lap. Ostensibly she was looking at the file, but he sensed the charge around her and had to stop himself from grinning. Maybe she felt bad about insulting him earlier, though truthfully Seifer had completely brushed that off. Instead he rested his ankle on his knee and held the file folder up a bit higher as Quistis brushed over his lap again with a bit more pressure. He loved it when she was bad.

 

“So,” he said, keeping his voice as even as he could. “Are we going to need pickup in two days? Three?”

 

“Probably three,” said Quistis, her voice as innocent as could be. As Seifer's arousal grew, she traced the outline of his stiffening cock with her fingertips and said, “We'll need time for surveillance. It's been a long time since I've been in this particular location and no doubt the security will have changed.”

 

The car jerked as the student managed to get it back on the road, but Quistis continued to play around very lightly, soon making Seifer shift in his seat as her teasing inspired greater want. He pretended to read and tried not to grip the folder so hard that it bent.

 

“Okay,” said the SeeD to the student. “You're at 2000 rpms. Switch into second.”

 

“Uh... How do I...?”

 

“Clutch in, shift up, gas and go,” said Seifer, not willing to get thrown again. As the student haltingly obeyed, the car picked up speed and the scenery began to walk by instead of creep. Quistis laid off teasing him for a second to flip the page, which was a detailed map of the ambassador's quarters and the route to get there. This actually required some concentration, but Seifer found himself panting lightly instead as Quistis closed her hand around his fully erect shaft and started stroking him very deliberately. Seifer pretended to look at the map but instead stared down at what she was doing, wanting to feel the leather of Quistis's marlboro-skin glove on his skin. She didn't just stroke either; as she moved, she flexed her fingers at the same time, making literal ripples of pleasure go through his veins. The car stuttered into third as Quistis started tracing the ridge around his head with her fingertips, grasping lightly and pulling. Shit. A little lightheaded from trying to keep his breathing calm and quiet, Seifer was so distracted that he almost didn't notice the car jerk to a halt.

 

“Oh for fuck's sake—” he half-yelled, arousal fueling his temper.

 

“We got this,” said the SeeD, getting out the car; a swarm of Bite Bugs was guzzling something on the road and completely blocking traffic (not that there was any). As the student turned the car off and got out to fight, Quistis leaned out to see where they were. Seifer grabbed Quistis and kissed her passionately, sweeping her into his lap and groaning aloud at the delicious pressure of her soft round ass right where he wanted it. He lifted his hips to press against hers, making Quistis roll her hips over his lap even as she grasped his face in both hands and kissed him just as passionately.

 

“Seifer,” said Quistis admonishingly when they broke apart. Nevertheless her eyes were sparkling as she said, “Be careful. You have to be more discreet.”

 

“Fuck discreet,” he said, tugging at the high neck of her battle dress; Quistis gasped when he kissed her neck and nipped. As he grasped her breast and squeezed just enough to make her cry out softly, he said, “I am screwing your brains out the first opportunity we get.”

 

“Put your hands down, people can see you,” she said, still sounding soft and heated.

 

“Okay.” So Seifer ran his hand up her skirt, making Quistis yelp and smack him on the shoulder.

 

“That is not what I meant!”

 

“Are you sure?” He asked tauntingly, sliding his hand over her thighs. He hooked his fingers in the sides of her panties and pulled lightly, saying, “Because if _you_ hold the file, then—”

 

“They're coming back.”

 

“I hate people,” Seifer grumbled as he reluctantly let Quistis slide out of his lap. Quistis smoothed down her clothes and made herself perfectly presentable by the time the SeeD and the student got back into the car. The rest of the trip was not nearly as exciting, but the twenty minutes at the beginning gave Seifer something to look forward to.

 

It _almost_ made up for the student being one of THE WORST DRIVERS Seifer had ever encountered.

 

“Fujin drives better than that,” he told Quistis furiously as they walked to the train station. “And she has only has one working eye.”

 

“I've always wondered about that,” mused Quistis. “What happened to the other one?”

 

“Dog attack when she was twelve,” said Seifer, making Quistis look at her in surprise. “Yeah, a dog. Not a monster, just a plain old dog. It tore up her face and nearly ripped her throat out before her mom got it off her.”

 

“How horrible.”

 

“What's more horrible is that her mom kept the dog and booted her off to the Garden.” Seifer scowled as he remembered Fujin telling him the story for the first time; she'd been nearly nonverbal then and had written it down for him and Raijin to read. “If we ever meet that bitch, Raijin and I are throwing her to her own damn dogs and seeing how she likes it. You don't do that to your family.”

 

“Fujin might object.”

 

“Yeah, but only because she _has_ to.”

 

For some reason that made Quistis laugh. “How did you meet Raijin?”

 

“Detention,” said Seifer, making Quistis laugh again. “I was in it for fighting but he was in it for 'improper use of magic'. I think I was...thirteen? Yeah, thirteen. He was just moping in this corner by himself and we ended up hitting it off when he set off the sprinklers by accident. We ran away in the confusion and have been buddies ever since.”

 

Quistis gasped. “I remember that! All the sprinklers, all over the Garden, all at once... What did he do?”

 

“Raijin has an affinity for lightning magic,” said Seifer. “He can mold it like clay when he wants. We were fighting in detention and he may have hit the fire alarm...”

 

“Oh my.”

 

“Yep.” Something seemed to occur to him and he looked at her, his gaze becoming sharp. “Don't repeat that to anyone.”

 

“Repeat what?” Quistis asked, tilting her head. Seifer relaxed a bit, but only by a hair. “What is it?”

 

“...Look, you have to know that we get into some dumb shit from time to time,” he said; Quistis knew he was talking about himself, Fujin, and Raijin. “Dumb and sometimes... Illegal. No one gets hurt, it's just all good fun. But I can't tell you about those parts if you're... You know.”

 

“Then don't tell me,” said Quistis with a shrug. “I probably won't be able to keep myself from scolding you if you do, and I don't like that.”

 

“You don't?” He asked jokingly, but to his surprise Quistis looked at him with an annoyed, slightly hurt expression on her face.

 

“No,” she said firmly. “I don't. I...” She inhaled deeply. “It's going to be very easy for me to talk down to you, Seifer. And it's not because I don't respect you or your abilities, but simply because I'm the more experienced one. And I won't be able to stop myself, particularly in the heat of the moment. I need you to know that if I start ordering you around, it's because it needs to be done. Not... Not because I like it.”

 

“Holy Hyne,” said Seifer in mild amazement. “You _are_ worried about that superstition.”

 

“No, I'm worried about _me,”_ Quistis said. Seifer saw her starting to tremble. “I... I don't work well with others.”

 

“Neither do I,” said Seifer. “But we did alright in the Lightning Forest.”

 

“...We did,” Quistis admitted. That had been nearly a month ago. “Still, it's different. I'm lead on this mission, and there's a lot more at stake than a bad grade if things don't work out.”

 

“Then we'll make sure they work out.”

 

They were nearly to the train station before Quistis stopped and turned to look at him, meeting his eyes directly.

 

“Do you trust me, Seifer? In the field, I need to know that you will trust me and follow my orders without question.” When he made a noise of annoyance, Quistis had to bite back a flare of temper. “I need you to swear to me that you will obey my orders. This isn't because I'm being a killjoy or straitlaced, it's because _I don't want you to die.”_

 

Seifer sighed. Being backup was not his idea of a good time. Seifer hated feeling like he was being kept away from the action, but there was enough fear in Quistis's dark blue eyes that he couldn't say no without being a massive dick. Besides... It wasn't like he wasn't worried about her too, deadly as she was and all. If shit went south, Quistis would be right in front of it.

 

“I swear I will follow your orders,” he said. When Quistis still looked at him like she didn't believe him, Seifer pushed away the surge of irritation and said, “I trust you.”

 

“Please don't make me go to your funeral.”

 

“You won't,” he said patiently. “Don't make me go to yours.”

 

Quistis nodded and they went to get tickets. As Quistis paid, Seifer grumbled against the memories of Alton's words from last night.

 

“ _SeeDs die every day because of stupid-ass orders on stupid-ass missions, and you know what that does to the women? They either crack down the middle because all of a sudden_ you might get hurt!”

 

“ _That's the name of the game,”_ Seifer said to the annoying words. _“We're mercenaries. Of course we're going to get hurt.”_

 

But when he looked at Quistis and tried to imagine being a tough professional if she got shot or killed, something weird happened. His hands tightened on the handles of his bag and his gunblade case and he found himself gritting his teeth. Seifer was not dumb, he knew he was feeling protective.

 

What shocked him was how _violently_ angry the thought of anyone hurting Quistis made him. He'd never literally ripped someone's head off before but if there was ever an occasion...

 

“Thank you,” said Quistis as she collected the tickets. As she turned to face Seifer, she blinked in surprise. He was standing very still, but there was a palpable aura of threat that seemed to shimmer over his skin. Immediately Quistis's senses went on high alert. She replayed their walk to the train station and found nothing threatening in her memories. When she scanned the immediate area, the most dangerous thing was probably dropping something on her foot (and even then not really, since her boots were reinforced with steel plating). Slipping the tickets into her pocket, Quistis walked up to Seifer and tapped him on the shoulder. At once he blinked and the violent aura disappeared.

 

“What was that about?” She asked him softly.

 

“...Just mission stuff,” he said shortly, looking away. Hyne, she'd think he was an idiot if he told her the real reason. Quistis cocked her head but mercifully said nothing.

 

The train pulled into the station five minutes later and Seifer and Quistis boarded, navigating through a crush of people flooding out for vacation. When they reached the private SeeD cabin, Seifer whistled softly. A low padded sofa sent around the back corner of the cabin and bunk beds outfitted with sheets and real blankets took up one of the side walls. There was also a private bathroom that looked large enough to hold either a tub or a very big shower.

 

“How long is the trip to Deling City?” Seifer asked Quistis as they set their things down by the low padded sofa.

 

“Approximately a day and a half,” said Quistis.

 

“So a day and a half...”

 

Quistis heard the low, warm tone in Seifer's voice and turned to chide him for being so distractable, but it was hard for her to be serious when she was thinking the exact same thing. There were a couple of surprises in her bag that would make the time pass by quickly indeed.

 

“Lock the door,” she urged him. Seifer crossed the cabin quickly to do as she said, and while his back was turned Quistis reached into her bag and pulled out a set of cuffs. She hid them behind her back when he turned around, grinning broadly. Anticipation made Quistis want to laugh, but instead she smiled coyly and beckoned Seifer over. When he came close enough Quistis deftly sidestepped around him and locked the cuffs around his wrists behind his back.

 

“What the hell?” He demanded and then jumped as she reached around and ran her hand over the front of his hips. Oh _hell_ no. Seifer wrenched away and glared, not at all upset by the look of surprise on Quistis's face. “What the flying fuck, Quistis?”

 

“Uhh...” This was backfiring spectacularly. Quistis found herself staring down at the ground as Seifer wriggled, cursing with his hands still behind his back. “S-sorry... I'll take them off. It was a stupid idea.”

 

“Hell yeah it was a stupid idea!” Seifer raged, nevertheless turning around as Quistis pulled the key from her belt pouch and unlocked the cuffs. “Do I ever pull this bullshit on you?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then why—”

 

“I'm sorry,” she cried, awfulness cracking the inside of her chest. “I wasn't thinking. I was afraid you'd say no—”

 

“So you decide to fuckin' _rape_ me?” Seifer demanded. He used the word deliberately and saw Quistis turn bright red. Her gaze dropped to the ground and she stared to shake, but for once he was not worried about that. Even though his wrists didn't hurt, Seifer rubbed them anyway. He was _pissed_ but at the same time, well...

 

“ _I keep forgetting she doesn't actually know what she's doing. She puts up a good front and then...pft.”_

 

Well, despite fun times in the car, he wasn't up for anything right now. Seifer took the opportunity to unpack his things and read the mission file. Meanwhile Quistis said nothing, and after a while she haltingly unpacked and went to her own corner of the cabin. Seifer did his best not to care. It was her fault for making assumptions. Still, he was so angry that the words kept swimming in front of his eyes and after trying to get through the first page for ten minutes, Seifer snapped the file shut and threw it down. Across the cabin, Quistis jumped like a shot had gone off. Their eyes met and hers slid away. Seifer huffed and nearly got up to leave, but then Quistis took a deep breath and said, “Can we talk? This isn't a good start to a mission.”

 

Seifer exhaled slowly. Right. The mission.

 

“Fine,” he said, leaning back on the couch, arms crossed. “What have you got to say to me?”

 

“First of all, that I am extremely sorry,” said Quistis. Her voice was calm, but Seifer noticed that she couldn't look him in the eyes; he saw little abortive jerks of her head as she tried and was overwhelmed by mortification. Good. “I don't expect you to forgive me for being so disrespectful and thoughtless.”

 

“ _If I didn't like you so much, I'd put you on the list,”_ thought Seifer darkly, his fingers flexing on his arm. 

 

“Second of all, it was wrong of me to have you swear to trust me and then do that.” Quistis closed her eyes. _She was a terrible leader_. “And I fully understand if you have some reluctance when it comes to listening to me in the field now.”

 

“What?” Seifer stared at her. “Why the fuck would I have a problem with that?”

 

Now Quistis looked at him in surprise. “You... Wouldn't?”

 

“Hell no. You _know_ combat. Sex, on the other hand...” He saw her gaze drop again. “Alright, look. I'm still mad. But I'm just _not-_ mad enough to know that you make mistakes. I make 'em too. Now... You swear to me. You will _not_ try something new like that without talking about it to me first. Okay?”

 

“Okay. I swear.”

 

Seifer took that with a grain of salt. Quistis was a logical person most of the time, but this recent episode had highlighted how excited and thoughtless she could get, and she might forget herself in the future. On the other hand,  _he'd_ definitely learned from his one accident...

 

“ _What do you mean, you 'changed your mind'?” Seifer asked Rinoa, utterly bewildered as she started pulling her clothes back on._

 

“ _I mean we're not doing it,” she said, half-glaring at him. “I know this is just casual fun and all, but 'casual' doesn't mean 'careless', and I don't like being treated like...like..._ fast food. _I'm going home.”_

 

“ _Like hell!” Seifer reached for Rinoa, but the glare she pinned him with froze him in place._

 

“ _I said I'm going home,” said Rinoa in a low, tight voice. “And either I'm going home and you'll_ maybe _see me tomorrow, or you_ force _me to stay here and you never see me again.”_

 

“ _No, I wouldn't...” The blood drained from his face as Seifer realized how it looked. He swallowed hard and sat back, curling his hands on top of his knees. “Sorry. I'm sorry.”_

 

“ _That's a good start,” said Rinoa, getting up. “But only time will make me believe it.”_

 

Seifer exhaled. He remembered how utterly horrible he'd felt at the time, but if he was honest? There'd been a little resentment too. _How dare she change her mind?_ So when he looked at Quistis and saw how she was looking at him, hesitant and waiting, he couldn't help but wonder if _she_ resented him too. After all, wasn't he a man? Wasn't he supposed to be up for sex all the time?

 

“ _I'm not just a man. I'm a human. And I do what I want with who I want,_ when _I want.”_

 

“Come here,” he said, making Quistis lift her head. He wasn't in a hurry to do anything for her right now, but if she wanted to prove she was sorry? She could listen to him, for starters. Seifer watched as Quistis got up from her corner of the bed and came over, still looking at him with shame in her eyes. Well... Remorse counted. It was a start. He held his arm out, expecting that Quistis might fall into his embrace for forgiveness, but instead she just looked at his hand in confusion.

 

“I don't know what you want me to do,” she admitted.

 

Reaching out, Seifer grasped the lower of Quistis's belts and tugged, saying, “I want you to sit down.”

 

She sat down. Seifer put his arm around her shoulders and sat by her, saying nothing, until she heaved a great sigh and softness came back into her body.

 

“I'm really sorry,” she whispered. 

 

“I know,” he said, giving her a squeeze. 

 

“Are you still mad?”

 

“A little. Not as much. But remember what I said.”

 

“I will.” She leaned against his side, relief fluttering through her chest when he didn't pull away. She had nearly screwed up everything all over again. Seifer pulled on her as he rested against the curve of the couch and stiffly she let him move her until they were actually cuddling. But she didn't fully relax until she felt the soft press of lips on the top of her head. 

 

“Don't take it so hard,” he told her quietly. “We all make mistakes.”

 

“You don't,” she said, closing her eyes. “You never make mistakes about... This stuff.”

 

“You're kind of seeing me at the top of my game,” he said, making her laugh quietly.

 

“So it's all downhill from here?” She couldn't resist joking.

 

“That's not what I meant,” he said, but she could hear a light smile in his voice and the tightness in her chest further eased. “But I make mistakes. A lot of them. Fortunately, I tend to go for women who don't take any of my shit.”

 

“ _And also tend to be older, except for Rinoa,”_ Seifer realized. _“So they know what they like.”_

 

“Don't be so scared to talk to me,” he told her. “ 'No' isn't the same thing as 'forever'.”

 

Quistis nodded, closing her eyes. “Tell me about a mistake.”

 

Seifer almost asked why, but it was pretty obvious why she was asking. He sighed, sorting through funny, embarrassing, and just plain cringeworthy fails.

 

“Alright, one time I couldn't get off for four hours.”

 

Quistis opened her eyes. “...what.”

 

“I wish I was making that up.”

 

“That sounds like the exact opposite of a mistake,” she said, lifting her head to look at him. To her surprise, he was slightly red in the face.

 

“Not to my partner,” said Seifer, wincing a bit at the memory. _What the hell is wrong with you? Don't you think I'm sexy?_ “She got sore. And then she says, 'This was great and all, but I can't spend this amount of time every single time... I'm a busy woman, I have things to do'...”

 

Quistis couldn't help it; she started giggling. “So, why exactly...?”

 

“Hell if I know,” grumbled Seifer. “I think I got numb.”

 

“Numb!”

 

“Well yeah, if you keep going really hard for a long time, you go numb and then things don't...” He gestured vaguely. “And if that wasn't bad enough, I got a 'reputation' among her friends and then they all wanted to see if I could go for four hours straight.”

 

“Did they take numbers?” Quistis asked, now laughing.

 

“Almost!” said Seifer, flushing a bit at the memory. That had been an interesting couple months and had firmly cemented Seifer's reputation in the Garden's female population; _Seifer Almasy gets around._

 

“ _I'm glad that doesn't bother her,”_ thought Seifer as he looked at Quistis. But he had to know. “You're not bothered that I, uh...”

 

“Like you said, all that previous experience is benefiting me,” she said, smiling. “And you're choosing to be with me now, so I don't care about any others.”

 

Seifer exhaled. “Okay. Good. Same.”

 

“Easy enough to say when you don't have competition,” said Quistis, sounding amused. 

 

“I'd better not,” said Seifer, a flash of Squall's face going before his eyes for a split second. Ugh. 

 

Quistis nestled her head against his chest again, pressing her ear to his heartbeat. He was reassuringly steady. 

 

“I'm sorry,” she said again.

 

“I know.” He kissed her on the head again. “And I forgive you.”

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n:  Originally there was a smut scene here where Quistis handcuffs Seifer and BDSM-influenced times happen, but a kind reviewer on a different forum pointed out that after I made such a big deal about Seifer obtaining Quistis's consent in earlier chapters, I then treated Seifer's like a joke. And it made me wince because it was true. One of my male friends has been sexually assaulted before; I should know better than to treat male consent so lightly. I try to unlearn a lot of bad behaviors but occasionally shit gets away from me, and I'm glad that people are willing to bring my attention to it. Hence we have no smut, but more story.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	33. Chapter 33

/\/\/\/\/\

2 March 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

Being in battle dress and not official uniform, nobody knew Seifer and Quistis were SeeDs when they went to the dining car for some lunch and dinner. Most people didn't care either way, but when dinner rolled around and more people showed up in the car, there were of course the curious glances and the assumptions. The dining car was set up like a restaurant with large booths on one side and smaller two-people tables on the other, and every table had a spot by the window. Seifer was enjoying seeing the scenery rush by (even though it was mostly ocean; he was awed that such a long rail line went over so much water without problems) when the server came by and beamed at the two of them.

 

“Hellooo,” she cooed, making Seifer look at her in surprise. “What can I get you two lovebirds?”

 

Quistis's eyes went round. Seifer just smirked.

 

“Just waters for right now,” he said since Quistis was starting to turn red. “Thanks.”

 

The server walked off, beaming. She was a matronly type, no doubt having seen hundreds of couples occupy that very table. Seifer wondered how many of them had had at least one member who reacted like Quistis, who was still turning red and saying nothing.

 

“Come on,” he said when she didn't say anything. “Is it that unexpected?”

 

“...the last time I was on a two-person mission with a male SeeD, people asked me if he was my _father,”_ said Quistis, staring at the table. Seifer snorted and then couldn't stop himself from laughing as Quistis said, “But he didn't hear that, so he said he was my boyfriend.”

 

She was obviously incredibly embarrassed, but Seifer could just see awkward little teenage Quistis, flat as a board and too stunted to speak up for herself when she was really shocked and couldn't murder or logic her way out of a situation.

 

“And then he kept on touching me,” said Quistis, which made Seifer's laughter still. “Not too inappropriately... But more than I liked. He was very... Touchy. And he kept saying it was for the job.”

 

“What happened?” Seifer asked, his voice dropping as his irritation for this unknown SeeD rose.

 

“The mission went well. And as soon as we were in the clear, I punched him so hard that I knocked him out for five minutes.” Quistis looked out the window. “I told Xu about it. And for a while after that, I only worked with women. Or in teams.”

 

“You've been on a lot of missions,” said Seifer noncommittally, thinking about Fujin telling him to learn from the best.

 

“Sixty in three years.”

 

Seifer stared. Most SeeDs went on an average of ten missions a year; Quistis had been doing twice that many. “Sixty!”

 

“Fifty-two were successful, eight were deeemed unsuccessful,” said Quistis, looking out the window as Seifer kept boggling at her. Was it really that strange? She was capable... Why wouldn't she work hard? “It doesn't really feel like much has changed...”

 

“ _She has no idea how smart she is,”_ Seifer realized. In a way it was similar to how he felt; his impatience with people was born of frustration, because if _he_ could do it, certainly other people were more than capable and needed to get on his level. Quistis had obviously gone in another direction, pretending like nothing she did, no matter how impressive, was any big deal. Shit.

 

Seifer reached across the table and put his hand on hers. She blinked and looked at him.

 

“Oh...” She blushed a bit and turned her hand to twine her fingers with his. “Well, this is different.”

 

That actually wasn't why he'd wanted to touch her just then, but okay. “We'll work fine together,” Seifer told her. “I told you I'd listen to you.”

 

Quistis just sighed. “Thirty-two SeeDs have died on missions I've been on. So please understand if I can't be optimistic until we're back in the Garden.”

 

“As long as you understand that everything you told me makes me more optimistic about our success,” said Seifer, making her look at him in surprise. “You've lived through sixty things that tried to kill you and you always came out on top. That's fuckin' impressive. You're a good-luck charm.”

 

Quistis started to laugh, but it was not a happy noise. Seifer just held onto her hand until she calmed and looked back out the window.

 

“I guess we should look at the menu,” she said after a while.

 

“Yeah, okay.”

 

The selection had changed since the last time Quistis had taken this line, so she took a long moment to scan every single option. In contrast, Seifer flipped the menu open, ran his eyes over the selection, and then shut it.

 

“You know what you're getting already?” She asked him in surprise.

 

“Chicken tikka masala,” said Seifer with a light smile. “Haven't eaten that since G-Garden. I miss it.”

 

“That's right, you took the special seminar,” said Quistis, tilting her head at him. “How was that?”

 

“Hot. Dusty.” When Quistis gave him a look, Seifer chuckled and said, “Educational too. Lot of stuff about movement efficiency and weapons maintenance. They didn't teach me the thing I really wanted to know, though.”

 

“What was that?”

 

“Fanning the trigger.”

 

“...Your model uses a semiautomatic for the gun part,” said Quistis with a frown. “Isn't fanning the trigger a Revolver technique?”

 

“Yeah,” sighed Seifer.

 

“Not to mention that the lateral cutting movement of the—” Quistis stopped as Seifer actually held up his hand, but it was more like a casual wrist flick than an aggressive 'stop' motion.

 

“Trust me, I've heard all the ways it's not supposed to work,” said Seifer. Nevertheless he sighed and said, “But it looked so cool...”

 

“Looked? You've seen it done?”

 

Seifer chuckled, but turned just a little pink. “Yeah... In a movie.”

 

“In a movie,” Quistis repeated, unable to stop an incredulous smile from creeping around her lips.

 

“Yeah, one of my favorite childhood movies,” said Seifer, looking out the window with his cheek resting on his hand; Quistis realized he was trying to hide the reddening of his face when she saw his fingers splay out. “You ever seen it? 'The Sorceress's Knight'?”

 

“That sounds vaguely familiar.”

 

“It was the best thing ever to a six-year-old,” sighed Seifer, making Quistis smile. Wistfulness and nostalgia softened the arrogant lines on his face until he actually looked his age and surprisingly cute. “Action, adventure, a real Ruby Dragon on set... I think I can still quote most of the lines.”

 

“What was your favorite part?”

 

Now Seifer turned red. Quistis looked at him in surprise.

 

“I won't laugh at you,” she said as he started to hunch behind the tall collar of his coat. Was he doing that on purpose? Either way it was oddly adorable; impulsively she wanted to pull the collar down and kiss him until he laughed or smirked again. “I promise.”

 

“...I'm holding you to that,” Seifer said, sitting up straight with a breath. “So—”

 

“Hello again,” said the server, making them both jump and look up at her. “What are you having?”

 

“Chicken tikka masala,” said Seifer without hesitation.

 

“Uh... Um...” Quistis looked at the menu, her mind buzzing as it focused on the options. “Oh... Fish curry. Spicy.”

 

“Naan?” asked the sever, making both Seifer and Quistis cringe a bit as she said 'NAN' in a flat, nasal tone.

 

“Yeah,” said Seifer, making her nod and walk off. “...She is _not_ Galbadian.”

 

“Not southern Galbadian, in any case,” agreed Quistis. “So, you were about to tell me about your favorite scene from 'The Sorceress's Knight'?”

 

Seifer groaned a little, but she saw an embarrassed smile flicker around his lips. Very pointedly he did not look at Quistis as he started to speak in a soft, almost hesitant voice.

 

“ 'We live in such times that I cannot save you with words or with emotion. All I can offer you is my sword and a heart that never wavers. I will make myself the enemy of a thousand enemies so long as you are there to catch me if I fall. I will cross rivers of fire and mountains of broken glass so long as you are the one who tends my wounds. For the sun of your presence in my life, I will give you all that I have'.”

 

A recitation was the last thing she had expected. Quistis couldn't breathe. Her heart even seemed to go still. The words, flowery and romantic as they were, were not as important to her as the sentiment behind them.

 

“ _Don't leave me alone. I'll do anything, just don't leave me alone.”_

 

And _that_ sentiment seemed to resonate in her very soul.

 

Quistis was staring at him. Shit. She probably thought he was a total fucking weirdo. Seifer abruptly stood up, feeling his face turn bright red. He should have lied and talked about the Ruby Dragon. There was no way to talk about how _cool_ those lines sounded to a six-year-old.

 

“I'm...gonna... get some air...” he said awkwardly before striding out of the dining car. Once he was in the connecting car, Seifer took several deep breaths and even though he knew he looked stupid, shut his eyes and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. The darkness helped and at once the sensation of being _seen_ decreased. He didn't mind being looked at and observed so long as he was prepared for it—hell, he enjoyed the spotlight—but being _seen_... Ugh. Might as well run naked through a crowd.

 

“ _Actually I think I'd rather run naked through a crowd... I don't have anything to be ashamed of. But this is different...”_

 

But she hadn't laughed. Seifer took a moment to analyze the way Quistis had looked at him and realized that she hadn't exactly been staring, she'd been struck. Like something he'd said had made a lot of sense.

 

After several long moments, Seifer figured he was calm enough to go back in. It was just a little totally manageable embarrassment. And at least she hadn't laughed. When Seifer had watched the movie with Fujin and Raijin, they'd been stifling giggles the whole time. The movie hadn't aged well. Still... It had been very important to Seifer during a low time of his young life. Even if he was never adopted, if he ever found someone he trusted that much, someone who glowed like the sun... Well, life wouldn't be so bad.

 

“ _Maybe I could watch that movie with Quistis... And she wouldn't laugh at it...”_

 

Quistis heard Seifer come back in, but made a point of not looking at him until he sat down. He looked calm, if not exactly back to normal, and her heart swelled again, pushing against her ribs. She wasn't so socially inept that she didn't realize how much it had cost him to be vulnerable, and knowing he'd shared such things with her after such a short time, well... No wonder her heart was hammering.

 

“ _Seifer...”_ She thought, looking at him over the top of her water as he sat down. _“You know... We're not alone right now... And that doesn't have to change any time soon...”_

 

They talked about inconsequential things until the fraught atmosphere of tender emotions settled to camaraderie, and afterwards went back to the cabin. As soon as the door shut and locked behind them, Quistis turned around and kissed Seifer warmly, touching his face lightly like he often touched hers. As her fingers drifted down to his chest and his came up to twine in her hair, Quistis wondered if he was so fond of holding her head because he wanted to be sure she was looking at him. In any case, she was not surprised that Seifer wanted physical intimacy after being so psychologically personal, but it felt like he wanted something more than just bodies coming together, which was simultaneously thrilling and also made Quistis very nervous. He had shared a lot of himself and soon there would come a time when he'd want something of her as well...

 

“ _No. I don't want to. He'll think I'm broken. But... He's been very nice so far...”_

 

“Aren't you tired?” She asked him when he gave her a moment to breathe between kisses. “This is going to be twice in a day.”

 

“I had a nap in the morning,” he said, his eyes starting to glint with more familiar old roguishness. But it was just a glint. Instead he brushed his fingertips over her cheek and said, “I'm not actually interested in that right now.”

 

“Really?” She asked skeptically.

 

“Really,” he said, hugging her and not letting go. Quistis stayed still, unsure of what was going on. After a certain amount of time, he gave her a squeeze and let go, looking more relaxed than she could immediately recall seeing him. Then without a word, he went to his bag, pulled out a book (not Taciel, but a dog-eared novel that he had obviously enjoyed many times before), and sat down on the couch to read. Quistis stared at him, not sure how to articulate her confusion. Eventually she decided to take a shower and start to wind down for the night. The next day would bring the mission.

 

/\/\/\

 

As Deling City appeared on the horizon the next afternoon, Quistis's demeanor visibly changed. One minute Seifer glanced up from his book to see her drawing on her laptop, her eyes focused on whatever she was sketching. The next time Seifer looked up, he saw a blonde stranger looking out of the window, her eyes expressionless.

 

“What's up?” He asked her, his hackles rising slightly at the subtle but definite change.

 

“I hope this goes better than the last time I was in the Presidential Palace,” said Quistis, still looking out the window.

 

“What happened then?”

 

“My field exam.”

 

“...oh.” Seifer put his book down. Then he frowned. “Wait. You were in the Presidential Palace three years ago?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“The Galbadian Presidential Palace?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“...You didn't have anything to do with Mara Deling, did you?” Seifer asked, naming the late First Lady of Galbadia. “The news said it was terrorists.”

 

Quistis huffed quietly. “Let's just say that Vinzer Deling is not a nice man.”

 

“Wow.” Seifer looked at Quistis with new respect. “ _Wow._ No wonder Xu picked you for this.”

 

“Mm.”

 

“Hey.”

 

“What?”

 

“It'll be fine,” he said, reaching over to pat her knee. They were sitting on the padded couch, legs intertwined as they rested on opposite ends. “It won't end like last time.”

 

“They just kept pouring in,” Quistis murmured, her eyes on the past. “There were so many...”

 

“I killed thirty-four G-Army soldiers in Dollet,” said Seifer, making her look at him with wide eyes. “You don't have to worry about anything.”

 

“I'll believe that when the mission is over,” said Quistis, sighing softly. He saw a ghost of a smile flit over her face. “I just hope the maids in the palace wear something that's easy to move in.”

 

“What?”

 

“Oh. I have to dress up as a maid.”

 

“Reeeally?”

 

Now she laughed, life coming back into her pale face. “It's not that exciting.”

 

“Speak for yourself,” said Seifer, picturing Quistis in a short black skirt and a cute white apron. And calling him 'Master'. That was nice.

 

“Don't get too excited,” said Quistis, wagging her finger at him. “You need to dress up as a footman. The clothing's already been provided for us, so that's one worry off our minds. And we'll need to cover up your scar too.”

 

“Oh yeah,” Seifer realized, touching his head. It had only been four days since he'd acquired the scar, but already he was so used to it that he forgot it existed. “So, makeup?”

 

“Yes, I have a kit,” said Quistis. “And we'll probably also want to put on additional disguises. So...”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“What do you think?” She asked, tilting her head and twining a lock of hair around her finger. “Redhead? Brunette? Black hair, maybe?”

 

Seifer's eyes gleamed. “Redhead. Please.”

 

Quistis laughed softly and gestured at him. “And I think I'd like to see you with black hair. Just for fun.”

 

“Sure.”

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: I had to mention that movie sometime :D

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	34. Chapter 34

/\/\/\/\/\

3 March 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

Two musicians entered the Nana Hotel, a semi-careful hole-in-the-wall sort of inn that nevertheless had rooms that could be made secure for a price. The proprietor, a short and graying man who looked the very epitome of ordinary, took their names and led them to a room that was more like a bolt-hole, carved out from the space between two other rooms with only a single small window at the end. There were two beds laid end-to-end along one wall and two tall closets on the other wall, making the room so narrow that only one person could walk down the central aisle at once. A discreet bathroom near the door housed a sink and a toilet. It was distinctly unglamorous, but stepping into a safe room for the first time in a year turned Quistis's blood to mercury. It was time to work.

 

A far more detailed file than the one they'd received awaited them when they entered, along with a suitcase filled with the pertinent disguises and some sundry supplies. Seifer dyed his hair black in the sink while Quistis laid out her disguise and selected a wig: people remembered hair colors on women more than they did on men, so switching from red to blonde would be a very effective means of distraction. The dye Seifer was using would wash out with a special shampoo, so there was no problem about his hair being more permanently black.

 

The scar was still the main problem.

 

“How did you fare in Disguise?” She asked him as he dried his hair off. When Seifer shrugged, Quistis sighed and then sighed again when he turned around. “You forgot your eyebrows. Come here,” she said, patting the bed that wasn't covered in mission supplies.

 

Seifer had unfortunately washed all the dye down the sink, but Quistis had waterproof mascara and a professional makeup kit in the bag. With a fine brush and a light touch, Quistis darkened Seifer's brows and pale eyelashes, and a bit of spirit gum and more careful makeup made his scar vanish from sight; it had healed slightly sunken instead of raised, which was a plus. On a whim Quistis added a bit more makeup to sharpen Seifer's cheekbones and more prominently shade his nose, and when she was done Seifer looked like a man in his early thirties who hailed from somewhere around Timber. Seifer behaved very well, keeping his hands in his lap without the slightest hint of mischief.

 

“ _Can't tickle the woman who's poking around my eyes with small, pointy objects...”_

 

“Damn,” Seifer said when he saw his reflection for the first time. “Is there anything you're not good at?”

 

“Cooking,” Quistis said as she cleaned off the brushes and started putting things away. “I also don't know how to do laundry. And my experience with sewing is limited to stitching up wounds. Don't touch that.”

 

“I wonder how I'd look with a beard...” Seifer mused as he nevertheless poked his covered-up scar. As he bent slightly over the sink to admire his reflection, the back of his shirt rode up just enough for Quistis to see the topmost point of his triangle-knot tattoo. She cocked her head, which he caught in the mirror. “What?”

 

“Why do you have a tattoo in the middle of your low back?”

 

“We all have 'em,” he said, making Quistis look at him strangely. “Me, Fujin, and Raijin. We got 'em when we turned eighteen. Three points, three of us. I think Raijin's is on his right hip and Fujin's is on her left.”

 

“You feel that strongly about your friendship?”

 

“Well, yeah. We're all the kids no one wanted.” He saw her stunned look in the mirror and couldn't help but smile, though it was a bitter-edged thing. “I already told you about Fujin's mom. Raijin's dad was some sort of wandering mercenary. He just dropped Raij off at Balamb Garden and disappeared. Cid even sent out a team looking for him but they never found anything. Up until he was about fifteen, Raijin swore his dad would come back, but...”

 

“Maybe he's dead,” Quistis said softly.

 

“Dead or not, he ran out. You don't do that to your family.”

 

Quistis tilted her head, her eyes soft and considering. “You have very strong ideas about family, don't you?”

 

Seifer exhaled deeply. “Well... Yeah. I mean, everyone knows how they're supposed to work. Sounds nice. Sometimes... Never mind.” He looked at her over his shoulder. “You were adopted, right? You never talk about that.”

 

Seifer could almost see Quistis lock up. Her face became pale and her eyes overbright, but when her sweet and generous lips thinned to almost nothing, that was when he knew shit was serious. Quistis took a deep, shuddering breath and he could almost see her forcing herself to relax. She looked down at her hands, which had gone into fists in her lap.

 

“I don't like to think about that time,” said Quistis softly. “I don't remember much of it... I think I've blocked a lot of it from my memory.”

 

“That bad?” Seifer asked, seeing her eyes darken. He'd never seen her go so hard so fast. No, not hard... Brittle. Cold and brittle.

 

“Not as bad as some,” said Quistis. “I'm alive, for one thing. And they never molested me that I can remember. But, umm... What do you know of the Zelbagan faith?”

 

“That it exists,” said Seifer, shrugging. He tried to keep his voice light and nonthreatening, Dr. Kadowaki's voice rolling in his ears as she told him not to scare vulnerable people. Between sensitivity training for the DC and several years of emotional management classes with Dr. Kadowaki, Seifer thought he was pretty decent at being calm when it counted. “I don't really care much about religion.”

 

“Yes, well, neither do I... But my distaste is born of experience.” Quistis felt herself starting to shake, and the urge to shut up was fighting with one that was growing stronger—get it all out before you lose your nerve. “Don't get me wrong, the overwhelming majority of Zelbagans are very nice, but the book they believe in was the same one that my adoptive parents used to justify things like shaving my head because I was 'too proud of my hair'.”

 

“...That's fucking sick,” said Seifer, staring at Quistis as she started to shake. Suddenly her nervous tremble seemed much more worrisome and he wanted to hug her and stabilize her until they went away. But the slightly empty look in her eyes made him reconsider getting anywhere near her; she might lash out, or worse, start crying out of fear. It was just that sort of look. Abruptly he remembered how short Quistis's hair had used to be as a young teenager, a close blonde cap that used to fan out like the rays of the sun before it grew long enough to hold itself down.

 

“It wasn't so bad to start with...” said Quistis, staring down at the ground. “They were very nice at first. Easy to please. They liked how quickly I could memorize and recite things. The problems started when I began to question what I was reading instead of just swallowing it down and...”

 

She exhaled shakily. Truly, she didn't remember many specifics, but the feelings of uncertainty, dread, apprehension... Oh yes, she still felt all of those. As well as a special sort of distrust when something good just...appeared.

 

“ _Are you hungry, Quistis? Are you cold? Do you want to come out of the dark? Is that your favorite book?”_

 

No. No. No. No. 'Yes' was how they tricked you into revealing weakness.

 

“ _I'm FINE. I don't need anything!”_

 

“And then when they found out I was a blue mage...” Quistis's fingertips dug into her elbows. “Ooh. You know how I used to get made fun, right? All those... _filthy_ suggestions. And people telling me I wasn't all the way human. I was used to that, you know. From them. From my...parents.”

 

“They weren't your parents,” said Seifer immediately, making Quistis lift her gaze. “They were adults who should have known better but didn't.”

 

“It doesn't matter,” Quistis said softly. “I got away. I applied to the Garden... I actually lied about my age to get in, isn't that funny? And the proctor said he'd never seen such high test scores even from children who were actually twelve... So it worked out.”

 

Seifer folded his arms, digging his fingertips restlessly into his arm as the urge to set something (someone?) on fire grew within him. He'd read about plenty of horror stories during a dark time of life when he'd tried to convince himself that he was better off without parents, and the number of kids who ended up beaten, neglected, or murdered by 'loving parents' almost convinced Seifer that he didn't want a family ever. Still, this was the first time he'd actually encountered one of those horror stories in the flesh, and he found that his 'nonadoptive' status was maybe a better victory than he'd thought.

 

Nevertheless he looked at Quistis silently shaking on the edge of the bed. He tried to visualize her as someone who'd been encouraged to grow in a loving environment instead of the hard, exacting standards of the Garden that were _still_ better than 'home', and all at once he could almost see a charming young woman, the light of every room she walked into, delightfully sharp and witty. People their age were usually in college by now, not executing fancy murders.

 

“ _There's no question that Quistis is a good SeeD, but does she actually like being one?”_

 

“ _I shouldn't have said anything,”_ thought Quistis, looking at Seifer out of the corner of her eye. _“He's so far away. What if he doesn't want to be around me any more? I'm not the woman he thought I was... Men hate emotional baggage, everyone knows that. What if this is what makes me lose him? Not the mission, but...me? The way I am already cost me my Instructorship...”_

 

Seifer trusted that Quistis would hit him or something if she didn't like what he was doing, so he came over to the bed, sat by her, and gave her a hug. She was stiffer than a corpse.

 

“Lie down with me,” he said, pulling on her a little.

 

“Why?” Even her voice seemed empty.

 

“Because we've had a long train trip,” he said. “And I missed sleeping next to you last night. I wanna see if we fit on these things together.”

 

“We're not going to fit,” said Quistis, nevertheless letting herself be pulled down.

 

“We totally fit,” he said, pulling her on top of him. Quistis laid her head on his chest and let him pull the clip out of her hair, and for a long while neither of them said anything as the tension slowly eased out of Quistis's body. Seifer was very warm and solid, and the fact that he wasn't running away was ultimately what let Quistis exhale and sit up a bit to look at him.

 

“I bet you weren't expecting that much of a sob story,” she said lightly, her eyes nevertheless troubled.

 

“Only because you hide it well,” he told her. “But I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me.”

 

Quistis kissed him on the lips. She meant it to be a light thing, but the subtle swell of response in Seifer's lips made her realize that he thought she was after something more. As he twined his hands in her hair and shifted suggestively underneath her, Quistis pulled back and sat up again.

 

“I don't want to right now,” she told him. Somehow she felt like sex would cheapen the real intimacy that had just happened.

 

“That's fine,” he said, lacing his hands behind his head. He seemed totally unoffended, which made Quistis's heart unclench a little. “What would you rather do instead?”

 

“Work,” she told him honestly. “I want to memorize every detail of that file. And I want to get into disguise at least once to see how I can move in it.”

 

“Oh yes,” said Seifer, unable to stop from smiling. “The maid costume...”

 

“The maid _disguise,”_ said Quistis with a little laugh. “With the red hair.”

 

Seifer's smile became even broader, making Quistis shake her head at him a little.

 

“Do you want to see it?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What is it with men and red hair?” Quistis asked, sliding off Seifer to pick up the wig from the supply bed. Expertly she coiled her long hair underneath the cap and slid the wig on, saying, “Is it just the rarity of it? Or the reputation that redheaded women have?”

 

“It's the color,” said Seifer, watching as Quistis's sunny blonde disappeared underneath curling, chin-length waves of russet red. “It's exciting.”

 

“Hmm,” said Quistis, glancing at him sidelong. “Really?”

 

“Yes.” His eyes lit up. “Put on the uniform too.”

 

She laughed, his avid interest banishing some of her anxiety; knowing he still wanted her less-than-perfect self even just physically was a relief. “Really?”

 

“Yes. Really.”

 

“Cover your eyes, then.”

 

Seifer complied. Quistis changed and took a moment to darken her eyebrows to the correct red, and on impulse she put on a shocking red lipstick. The woman looking back at her from the mirror was now agelessly cute and perky, with a certain sauciness that Quistis knew she didn't have in her on a regular basis. The uniform was not particularly sexy that Quistis considered; the silhouette and hem length were very similar to her SeeD uniform, with the major difference being the neat white collar around her neck and the little apron that went underneath her bust and tied at the neck and back. Sheer tights with seams up the back and a garter belt and sensible low-heeled shoes completed the ensemble.

 

“Now you can look,” she told Seifer. The instant he dropped his hands from his eyes, he grinned so broadly that Quistis thought his face would fall off. The open delight suffusing his features sent a rush of heat through her veins, but Quistis covered it with a laugh. “Is it really that appealing?”

 

“Oh yes.”

 

“Why?”

 

“It just is,” said Seifer, still looking and sounding utterly delighted. She could see that his desire hadn't completely eased, no matter how 'okay' he said he was, and Quistis couldn't help but smile. Being desired was very, _very_ nice.

 

“Ah-ah,” she said as Seifer sat up. “Keep your hands to yourself. This can't get messed up.”

 

“It's made to be messed up,” said Seifer, eyes gleaming. But when she looked at him warningly, he sat on his hands and sighed. “Can I at least watch you take it off?”

 

“Hmm... Alright.” Quistis made a point of being as unsexy as possible, but it didn't seem like Seifer noticed, and in the end she had to laugh at his unchanged grin.

 

“Okay,” he said as soon as she hung up the uniform and wig and put them in the closet. _“Now_ can I mess up your clothes?”

 

“No.”

 

“What? Why?”

 

“Because I don't want us to lose focus,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “We still need to memorize that entire file.”

 

“We got all night.”

 

“Name three exit routes from the Ambassador's Room.”

 

Seifer opened his mouth and then had to shut it. Quistis nodded firmly and got redressed in civilian clothing. The weather was not as balmy as Balamb's, so she put on a sweater and jeans, and as she smoothed down her clothes, she noticed Seifer looking at her speculatively.

 

“What?”

 

“I just realized I've never seen you wear pants,” he said, folding his arms and leaning against the wall. “Why do you like skirts?”

 

“I just do,” said Quistis, looking down at her legs. The jeans were _tight._ She hoped it was because she'd put on more muscle and not because she was getting soft from being a year out of the field. “I think they look better on me.”

 

“I'll admit I like the access, but those pants...”

 

She glanced at Seifer, seeing him grin lasciviously. “No,” she told him firmly.

 

“A guy can look, can't he?”

 

“As long as all you do is look.” Nevertheless when Quistis stood up, she turned on her heels to show him how her behind looked in the tight jeans. When she glanced over her shoulder, Quistis saw Seifer rubbing his mouth, his eyes gleaming with speculative delight. “You are incorrigible.”

 

“You know you like it,” he said, smirking. Quistis blushed, but this time didn't bother hiding her own smile.

 

“Let's get to that file.”

 

Seifer groaned and rolled his eyes. Quistis was tempted to glare at him, but decided that perhaps a softer touch was in order.

 

“Seifer...”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Just think about how nice it'll be to relax when this mission goes off flawlessly,” said Quistis. She could see him thinking about it, so she added a little more fuel to the fire, saying, “You know we always get paid after missions. We can go on a real date...”

 

Now he smiled, actually getting motivated. “Yeah...”

 

“And I'll wear a nice dress...”

 

His eyes gleamed. “What sort of dress?”

 

“Hmm...” Quistis tapped her lip. Well, whatever she didn't have, she could probably borrow from Xu. “I'll let you decide. If you memorize that mission file and everything goes perfectly tomorrow.”

 

“You're on,” he said, immediately rolling off the bed to get to the mission specs.

  
 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: If you wanna raise your blood pressure, read up on unethical adoption practices. Or look up "How to Train Up A Child", which is essentially 'Abusing your child for G*D'.

 

Took out another section of smut here. It was taking away from the story and was definitely more of a case of author-wants than characters-would-do.  Hooray for constructive criticism :D

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	35. Chapter 35

/\/\/\/\/\

4 March 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

As it turned out, the 'first date' was not at a fancy restaurant, but at a cozy mom-and-pop joint about a block away from the Nana Hotel. Quistis put on the brunette wig for fun and Seifer borrowed her reading glasses, which made her snicker. While at dinner they talked about the Taciel books and had a delightful innuendo-filled conversation about how Quistis's 'side job' was going. The food was not amazing but far from bad, and at the end Seifer abused the image of his older-looking face to order a bottle of wine that they did not get carded for. Quistis was stunned and a little turned on by his brazen confidence, and the wine did nothing but add to that.

 

“You can't say you've never bluffed before,” he said, pouring her a glass of something as dark red as sin.

 

“Not for wine,” she replied in a half-scandalized whisper. Seifer smirked; more murders under her belt than years she'd been alive and she was _still_ such a goody two-shoes. It was strangely endearing.

 

“Then what?” He asked, amused.

 

“Hostage negotiation.”

 

“Ah. But this is more fun.” Clinking his glass against hers, he said, “To our inevitable success.”

 

“To our more than likely success,” she cautioned. “We are not finishing this whole bottle.”

 

“Says you.”

 

“I mean it,” she said. “We have to stay sharp.”

 

“You have no idea how much I can drink.”

 

“That's true, but this is not the time to find out.”

 

She saw Seifer's mouth twist as he tried to think of a way around that, but in the end he shrugged and sipped from his glass. Quistis took that as a cue to sip also, and to her surprise, the wine was surprisingly sweet with just the mildest bitter aftertaste to make things interesting. A flash of light caught Quistis's eye and she found herself looking at the plain steel necklace that Seifer always wore. Usually it was just a blank piece of metal, but the central plate had turned and revealed a set of letters she couldn't immediately identify.

 

“What's on your necklace?” Quistis asked. She was surprised when Seifer seemed to go still for a second, something like shock on his face. But then he shook his head and the strange lapse passed.

 

“Well...” He fingered it for a second before reaching behind his neck and taking it off. As he passed it across the table, he said, “Remember how I said Raijin's dad dumped him at the Garden without a word?”

 

“Yes,” she said, taking the necklace.

 

“My parents did the same thing, except I wasn't even old enough to remember,” he said, folding his arms. As Quistis looked at him in shock, he jerked his head at the necklace in her hands and said, “That's it. That's all I have of them.”

 

Quistis ran her fingertips over the metal. The letter-filled side that rested against Seifer's neck was shiny, no doubt from rubbing against his skin for so long. She could tell that at one point it had been something like a plate bracelet; the writing on the side was too pretty to be hidden away . Her heart hurt a little as she pictured Seifer as a little boy, turning a bit of silver over in his hands and sliding it on and off his wrists, trying to picture the adult it had used to belong to.

 

It was so vivid that for a second, Quistis could almost see it.

 

“I've never seen a script like this before,” said Quistis, brushing her fingertips over the carved letters.

 

“Neither have I,” said Seifer, watching her examine the piece. It had been such a long time since he'd really looked at the damn thing that he'd all but forgotten the letters existed, but now that Quistis was looking at it, Seifer had to breathe past the  hurt he'd shoved into the dark years ago. It was easier to be a hardass around someone who hadn't lost their folks... Who wasn't in the same boat as he was. Even with Fujin and Raijin Seifer didn't talk much about being an orphan, mostly because he kept using his parentless status to assure them that _they_ would be fine even being descended from shitlords.

 

But Quistis was different. She understood something that few other people did. Seifer watched her turn over one of his most prized possessions in her hand and felt nothing but a gentle rush of affection instead of the usual hostile panic.

 

Quistis's eyes went to the tiny crosses that were on either end of the silver collar piece. It took her a moment to realize why they looked so familiar and she had to hold back the soft cry that came to her lips. She'd always thought the huge red crosses on Seifer's coat were gauche, but now she thought she knew why they were there...

 

“ _Excuse me, do these look familiar to you? Can you tell me anything about my family?”_

 

“What?” Seifer asked her as Quistis started to look upset. She sighed and handed the necklace back to him.

 

“I was just thinking it would be nice to have something of my birth family,” she said, resting her chin in her hands. “Anything to go off of, really. More than likely they're both dead in the Sorceress War, but... Anything. Anything at all.”

 

Seifer looked at her long enough for her to feel a bit stupid for being so maudlin, but then he reached out and took her hand. Quistis smiled at him sadly but he turned her hand over and looked at her palm, rubbing a slow circle with his thumb.

 

“ _This is going to be incredibly sappy,”_ Seifer thought with a squirm; nevertheless, the hungry look in her eyes seemed to push him forward.

 

“Hmm,” he said, drawing the tip of his thumb along one of the lines in her palm. “Let's see. You have a strong life line, so both of your parents were healthy. And your long head line tells me that they were pretty smart; of course, anyone can tell that just by looking at you. And your heart line... Nice and deep. They loved each other very much.”

 

“Stop it,” said Quistis, but she didn't pull her hand away. Something small and curled-up inside her reached out for his words no matter how silly they were. Seifer glanced up, his sea-green eyes as calm as the ocean on a sunny day, and gently he turned her hand over, touching her fingers as he spoke.

 

“Your fingers are long and slender, so I'm thinking that your mother was probably artistic. I'm thinking a painter or an illustrator, considering your talent.” Quistis snorted and Seifer smiled, continuing. “Your knuckles are just a little wide, so I think that your father was probably the thinker and the one you get your meticulousness from. I think that when all hell broke loose, he was probably the one with the plan. But your mother is the one who had the heart to carry it out.”

 

“What makes you say that?” Quistis asked, trying to joke. But instead her voice came out rippled at the edges with a soft sob and she swallowed against the knot in her throat. He was too good at telling stories. She hated how willing she was to believe.

 

“Because there isn't a mother alive who wouldn't fight tooth and nail to protect her beautiful little girl.”

 

Quistis yanked her hand back. Tears were pricking her eyes. She stared at Seifer for a long time, not sure whether she wanted to hit him or hug him. He just returned her gaze as calmly and evenly as the ocean itself and gradually Quistis relaxed, picking up her wine. Unbeknownst to her, Seifer did not exhale again until she moved.

 

“Where'd you learn about palm reading?” She asked, forcing herself to speak calmly past the tightness in her throat.

 

“The Library,” he said, picking up his own wineglass and leaning back in his chair; she was still trembling with nervousness and needed space to readjust. “Just on a whim. I thought it was bull, but it turned out to be pretty interesting. I predicted when someone would get sick.”

 

“What?”

 

“It's true,” he said, and told her a very silly story about being twelve and convincing one of the other students at the Garden that his irregular life line meant he was subject to illness, a 'fact' cemented by the student catching the flu two days later. Quistis laughed and briefly wondered if he'd ever looked at his own hands, trying to puzzle out the secrets of his past, but right now it felt like too much to ask. Her heart still hurt.

 

They walked back to the hotel in companionable silence and it didn't escape Seifer how Quistis sought out and held his hand. They spent the rest of the night in the bolt-hole, reading and memorizing mission parameters until they could quote the file back and forth to each other. Afterwards they went to bed, and since the bunks were so narrow they slept head to head. Quistis heard Seifer drop off almost immediately, but she spent longer than she wanted staring up at the ceiling, her mind whirling with the upcoming mission and what her parents, wherever they were, might think of what she was doing now. It was over an hour before she finally fell asleep.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Short update today for massive update tomorrow.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	36. Chapter 36

/\/\/\/\/\

5 March 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

Martine's instructions were extremely detailed. At 11am the next day, Quistis and Seifer dressed in their disguises and went to a garage on the outskirts of Deling City to hide inside a false-bottomed cooler piled with meat. Once loaded into the truck and carried into the kitchen of the Presidential Residence, Seifer popped off the bottom part of the cooler and they dispersed. As a general footman, Seifer grabbed a tray and a teapot out of the kitchen and walked briskly like he was expected somewhere, and no one spared him a second glance. Quistis experienced a bit more trouble as more than one man noticed her bright red hair, but it was easy enough to her to play the shy coquette and stammer that she really needed to be on her way or President Deling would be _very_ put out. It worked well. Vinzer Deling's affection for maids had actually been how the SeeD team from Quistis's field test had come into the palace before, because while Mara Deling was not fond of her husband's fetish, she at least tolerated the presence of maids. Her mistake.

 

In any case, once free of speculative eyes and grabby hands, Quistis found herself able to move inside the palace freely. Martine had not been particular about how the Ambassador died, only that she definitely died, so Quistis planned to snap the woman's neck and be done with it. Nevertheless she was armed: just like Seifer had his concealed knives, Quistis had the sleek, slim rope dart on her person in case things went badly. Ambassador Edea was on the top floor.

 

Foreboding made Quistis's spine tingle as soon as she set foot on the top floor. The mission files from Martine indicated that there was supposed to be a lot of security to dodge on the top floor, but she encountered not a single guard. It was ominously quiet. Though Quistis's mind was focused entirely on the mission, her memories surged behind a thick layer of professionalism and made her blood race as she unwillingly remembered the last time she'd been in the Presidential Residence and it had been this quiet...

 

“ _Calm down. There will be no ambush. And Seifer is far more capable than a few candidates... Yes, he's a brand new SeeD but he didn't survive five field tests on sheer luck.”_

 

But the waves of soldiers that just kept coming and coming turned into a blue-black wave of blood in her mind that seemed to fill her nostrils with the scent of death.

 

As Quistis walked down the empty hallway, motion made her tense up and she exhaled softly when she saw it was only Seifer coming around the corner. He turned his palms toward her and shrugged subtly, clear as shouting, “What the hell?” but she had no answer for him. There wasn't anything constructive to say, either. Quistis put her hand on the Ambassador's door and pushed lightly.

 

The pressure-weighted door opened as silently as a whisper. When Quistis looked inside, the foreboding increased. There was nothing in this room except for some strange translucent drapery and a chair in the middle, in which sat the target. There was no mistaking the headdress from behind. Nevertheless Quistis eased herself into the room and approached on catlike feet, her hands loose and at the ready. She felt Seifer's eyes on her back like two fingers poking into her shoulder, but otherwise there was nothing that existed except her and her objective. Silently Quistis raised her hands as she approached Ambassador Edea, but every step seemed to thicken the air with dread until Quistis stood within five feet of the Ambassador's unguarded back and found herself almost pushing through a sense of wrongness.

 

This was too easy.

 

“ _Get it over with.”_

 

Quistis reached into her pocket and pulled out the knife on the end of her rope dart. Something made her not want to touch Edea's ivory-smooth, porcelain-pale skin with her bare hands. A nice swift thrust to the brainstem would take care of things in seconds. Quistis took a single step forward—

 

From the doorway, Seifer hissed as Quistis suddenly went flying, blasted back by something that hit her with an audible thud. He ran forward and managed to catch her before she slammed to the floor and as soon as he set her on her feet, he saw with shock that her nose was bleeding. Quistis rapidly blinked and loosened the coils of her rope dart. Ambassador Edea rose from her chair and turned around.

 

Her face was hidden by a long red mask, but there was something about the curve of her chin that made Seifer wonder if he had seen her before. But there was no time to think as the Ambassador raised her hand and Quistis suddenly went flying into the air, slamming brutally against the ceiling and pinned there by an invisible force. As Seifer looked up in horror, the long silk-wrapped chain of her rope dart wound around her neck like a snake.

 

Blood roared in his ears. Semi-berserk, Seifer drew his long knives and ran at the Ambassador, her pressure points and major blood vessels seeming to glow before his eyes. The Ambassador turned to look at him and peripherally Seifer was aware of Quistis dropping to the ground, though she managed to land on her feet. Slashing at the Ambassador, Seifer jerked as she suddenly seemed to move two feet to the right, his knife slashing harmlessly by.

 

“Poor boy,” said Ambassador Edea. The sound of her voice felt like a punch in the chest. Nevertheless Seifer slashed at her again and once again she vanished and reappeared, this time behind him. Seifer felt pinpoints of cold claws on his cheeks as the Ambassador wrapped her hands around his face, obscuring his sight. Searing pain shot through his eyes, making him stagger. “Poor, foolish boy.”

 

Seifer drove his knives backwards, but met nothing. As he spun around looking for the Ambassador, he heard a whisper of silk and instinctively dropped to the floor; Quistis's rope dart whizzed above his head and hit something that cried out.

 

“Abort,” Quistis croaked out.

 

“What?! There's two of us—”

 

Quistis shook her head. Seifer stared at the purpling bruises around her neck. “Can't,” she said. “Outmatched. She's—”

 

Again invisible force blasted Quistis down the room, nearly throwing her out the door. Seifer looked wildly around and a flash of red near the ceiling caught his eye. He looked up and saw the Ambassador standing on the ceiling, walking as normally as though she were on the ground. He nearly dropped his knives in shock.

 

“Sorceress,” he gasped.

 

The rapid drumming of footsteps in the hall made Quistis roll to her feet even though she couldn't breathe and could barely see. Everything hurt; clinically she thought she had broken ribs. Casting around for an exit, she saw a balcony near the far end of the room. It would mean running past the Ambassador, but that was better than running into an unknown number of assailants.

 

“Seifer,” Quistis called, but she couldn't suck enough air into her lungs. She staggered to her feet and ran over to him instead, grabbing his arm. He jumped at her touch but instantly assessed what she was trying to do; sweeping her into his arms, Seifer ran for the balcony. Quistis would have protested but she had just seen what looked like the entire Galbadian army running into the room and also the sorceress standing on the ceiling.

 

Looking directly at them.

 

Shots fired made Seifer speed up, but as soon as he reached the balcony he swore; they were three stories up and there was no way down. There was a tree about thirty feet away that looked dense with branches and leaves. Seifer glanced behind him and sized up the Galbadians. There looked to be about fifty of them. In a tight space Seifer knew he could take them, but not like this, not in a solid wall of machine guns and blades. And not with only long knives; he needed Hyperion. Shit. 

 

And Quistis definitely couldn't fight with the way she was clutching her sides. Even taking a moment to cast Cure would be too much. Seifer nearly lost a moment gazing into her frightened but focused blue eyes, practically whirling with observation and options. She had lived through sixty missions. Was it gonna be the sixty-first that got her?

 

“ _Hell of a mission,”_ Seifer thought with a sinking in his chest. But it wasn't over yet.

 

“Cast Cure on yourself,” he said, hefting his grip on Quistis differently. When she looked at him suspiciously, Seifer mentally rearranged his junctions to put everything into Strength. Now he look a moment to look at her, _really_ look at her, filling his eyes with the way she looked now and how she had always looked to him, shining like the sun and glowing with potential. A deep breath seemed to fill his heart with ever surge of wild emotion he'd ever felt for her. In a way, this was good; this was probably the last chance in more ways than one, so Seifer took a deep breath and said, “Love you.”

 

“What—”

 

Seifer threw Quistis as hard as he could. Magically augmented, he was more than strong enough to throw her directly into the tree and just before she disappeared into the branches, he saw healing light swell around her. Relief nearly made him weak, but instead Seifer put his hand on the balcony, ready to jump. All he needed to do was get out and they'd figure things out later (especially 'Love you', that was pretty precipitous), but the air solidified around him and froze him in place.

 

“You have forgotten your place, haven't you?” crooned the Sorceress. Seifer felt the cold claws along his cheek, down his neck, and tugging over his shoulders. Something huge and invisible jerked him around like a marionette and he found himself facing the Sorceress, who looked up at him with a smile that shouldn't have been familiar. He flinched when her red mask started to glow and separate, breaking into two halves that slid into either side of her elaborate headpiece. Upon seeing her face, the sense of deja vu only increased until Seifer was _sure_ he had seen this woman before. His eyes seemed to prickle and burn.

 

“Seifer...”

 

He gasped aloud. The way she said his name released a torrent of memory and his knives slipped from his slackened fingers. The Sorceress smiled and something in his chest seemed to crack at the sight of that simple expression...

 

...smiling at him with patience as he begrudgingly hung up laundry...

 

...smiling at him with affection as he asked her to read his favorite book just one more time...

 

..smiling at him in relief when he accidentally dropped hot water all over the floor but wasn't hurt...

 

The Sorceress touched his face and the dye and the makeup melted off him, revealing his true hair color and the scar across his face. He saw contrition flash across her face and wanted to forgive her immediately; it wasn't her fault she had left him such a long time ago. He had needed time to grow up and become strong for her. His eyes burned. Absently he was aware of tears. Seifer exhaled in a noise that was half relief and half a sob.

 

“Ma...”

 

“Welcome home,” said the most wonderful, most beloved person in Seifer's entire life. A crashing wave of love and acceptance and affection literally dropped him to his knees. As tears started dripping down Seifer's stunned face, she hugged him and whispered in his ear, “My dear, brave knight.”

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Welp.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	37. Chapter 37

/\/\/\/\/\

6 March 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

Lungs burning, head whirling, Quistis ran back to the safehouse. She'd lost the wig in the tree and had continued to shed pieces of her disguise on her way back to the bolt-hole until she was running down the streets in a plain white tank and a black skirt. Once there, she shoved everything she could into a bag. Seifer was compromised. It would only be a matter of time before he cracked or would be killed, and she needed to be far, far away.

 

She couldn't save him right now anyway.

 

Quistis ignored the tears of anguish and frustration dripping freely from her eyes. She rapidly changed into battle dress, figuring that safety and deadliness were of a higher concern than discretion right now. Quistis crammed everything she could into her one bag, so by the time she was ready to go, she had one very full duffel and Hyperion's carrying case. She grunted a bit at the weight of the two objects, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. As Quistis squeezed out of the bolt-hole and exited the Nana Hotel, a shout of “YOU THERE!” made her whirl around. Her gut seemed to freeze as two Galbadian soldiers came jogging up to her.

 

And then her blood cooled to mercury as they raised their weapons without warning.

 

Quistis hurled the heavy gunblade carrying case at them with the deadly accuracy that only a whip user could manage, slinging the four-foot box parallel to the ground so it flew like a boomerang. She hit both of them in the face with a loud thud but didn't bother to see if they were out; it wasn't like she needed Hyperion anyway. Running for her life for the second time in as many hours, Quistis found a car rental, paid in cash, and immediately drove off to Galbadia Garden. SOP held that SeeDs on failed missions reported to the nearest Garden until they could return home.

 

She didn't let herself think along the drive, which took about two hours at a certain speed over rough and badly maintained roads. Most people took trains these days, but Quistis wanted mobility. When the red bulk of Galbadia Garden appeared on the horizon, Quistis stepped on the gas harder and sped the last thirty miles there. The somewhat startled garage attendant took her keys and her SeeD ID number, and in a few minutes Quistis stood in Headmaster Martine's office, hands clasped behind her and her expression calm. As soon as she entered, Martine laid down his papers and looked at her, his hands folded before his mouth.

 

“So,” said Martine, looking at her from his desk. “Mission failed, then.”

 

“Yes sir. My partner was captured.”

 

“Mm.” Martine sighed heavily. He had not aged gracefully since the last time Quistis had seen him two years ago, during a joint operation between Galbadia and Balamb Gardens. Still, she found herself wondering how tired he could be if he hadn't been running for his life, thrown around like a rag roll, and trying not to panic over the loss of a partner and lover. Irritation rose inside her but Quistis clenched her hands into fists and counted silently to ten.

 

“Headmaster,” she said when he didn't say anything further. “Why was it not in the surveillance reports that the Ambassador was a sorceress?”

 

Martine looked up sharply. “What?”

 

“The surveillance report had nothing about Ambassador Edea being a sorceress.”

 

Martine stared at Quistis, the color draining from his face. Wordlessly he ran his hand over his mouth and got up, starting to pace. Quistis's grip on her own hands became so tight that it was painful.

 

“This is bad,” Martine murmured. “Very... Very bad. I must make some calls... SeeD Trepe, see the Assistant Headmaster about a room. I will need you very soon.”

 

Quistis nodded curtly and excused herself. Her steps were measured but very hard, and it was a struggle for Quistis to control herself until she was in her own room. With so many students given over to regular military service, there was only one unoccupied SeeD room for Quistis to remain discreetly hidden in. Quistis followed the Assistant Headmaster there and dutifully listened to the Headmaster's rules; Quistis was not to leave the room unless summoned, she was not to contact anyone, and she was most definitely not to attempt an rescue for her partner. When Quistis repeated the rules back to the Assistant Headmaster, he nodded and walked off, apparently thinking that was the end.

 

As soon as the door shut behind him, the grief and frustration and fear that Quistis had been suppressing burst out of her in a howl; she whipped around and hurled her bag against the nearest wall, nearly bouncing it into the middle of the room. Spent and exhausted, Quistis sagged against the wall as tears dripped from her eyes.

 

“ _Love you.”_

 

“Stupid idiot,” she whispered, shutting her eyes. She didn't know who she was talking to.

 

Losing Seifer in the field was not like any of the other losses she had suffered. As Quistis sank to the floor, nightmare memories of 32 dead partners blurred all to wear Seifer's face. All she saw was Seifer shot to death. Seifer beheaded. Seifer crushed underneath blasted debris. Seifer dying slowly as he tried to heal himself with the enemy closing in. Seifer being shot hundreds of times until there was nothing to bury except pieces of broken bone and torn meat.

 

“ _It was too early. I wasn't ready. The intel was bad. And now...”_

 

She clapped her hands over her mouth, trying to stuff back the keening wail that was clawing in her throat like a living thing. Shutting her eyes, Quistis rocked silently back and forth until the worst of the urge had passed. And yet it still hurt. More than anything she wanted to feel his arms around her or even just a hint of his presence, but nothing came to comfort her. It was pathetic how badly she wanted his touch and his comfort. It still seemed impossible that he wasn't here, that they hadn't gotten out together. He was intuitive and quick. He should have run with her.

 

“ _Or I should have stayed behind. I'm the sixty-mission veteran, I've flirted with death often enough... He was just starting. And he didn't even get a chance to become better.”_

 

Quistis curled into a ball and wept silently until she had nothing left to spare. There was a very slim possibility that Seifer still lived, but Quistis almost preferred to think he was dead. Then there was no possible way her heart could hurt any more than it did now.

 

“I failed you,” she whispered, rocking back and forth. “I failed you, Seifer. I'm so sorry.”

 

She couldn't sit on the floor forever. Picking herself up, Quistis collected her bag and methodically began to unpack; she needed something to do before she became completely useless. She had all her own things, but only some of Seifer's; he'd messily thrown his belongings all over the room, never thinking they might have to make a quick escape. With a hollow heart Quistis set aside a pair of socks, a spare pair of pants, a shirt. When her hand closed around something metallic, Quistis picked it up and realized she'd somehow snatched up Seifer's necklace. He'd taken it off that morning when the footman's disguise wouldn't lie flat over it and she remembered how annoyed he was at that fact. After a moment Quistis put it, moved by an impulse she couldn't identify. Some SeeDs didn't even have a memento to put into a coffin when the time came, and Quistis supposed it was nice that Seifer's wouldn't be empty.

 

What would she say to Fujin and Raijin?

 

Quistis took a hot shower and went to bed without eating. She was too exhausted to think and not entirely sure what to think about. Seifer's absence aside, the mission was a failure and a fairly large one at that; Balamb Garden would not be safe if her involvement was found out, and with Seifer possibly alive in the enemy's clutches, there was a possibility that he might give her up. Quistis wouldn't blame him if he did. The Galbadians were infamous for torture. Quistis fell asleep wondering if it would be better for the Garden if she simply got herself killed or let Cid and Xu turn her over...

 

/\/\/\

 

“ _...where am I?”_

 

Quistis dreamed vividly almost every night, but this was the first time in a long time that she'd ever been a man. There was also a sense of disconnection that she didn't normally have in her dreams. When she dreamed, Quistis was totally immersed in what was going on, whether that was flying above green plains dotted with blue lakes or exploring ancient ocean-washed skeletons on beaches that stretched forever. She could touch and feel things in her dreams, even if she didn't always have the most autonomy. But this...

 

“ _What is this?”_ She wondered as the man she was—Kiros—fought and slashed his way through strange monsters and soldiers in even stranger uniforms. Information trickled into her mind; these were creatures of the Estharian army. And Kiros and his friends Laguna and Ward were Galbadian soldiers who were just meant to patrol, but had stumbled on something weird. While Kiros fought for his life, Quistis looked around and stared at the massive blue-green crystal that surrounded them on all sides; they were fighting inside it. _“What a weird dream...”_

 

“ _Excuse me, faerie?”_

 

Quistis nearly jumped out of her skin.

 

“ _Kinda busy right now,”_ thought Kiros, ducking underneath an Estharian's blade and stabbing him with his katal. _“Could you keep the mental chatter down and also quit dragging my focus all over the place?”_

 

“ _Sorry,”_ Quistis apologized, figuratively taking a seat. _“I didn't realize I could influence you.”_

 

“ _Neither did the other one,”_ Kiros sighed, dispatching his soldier. _“It's more like catching flashes out of the corner of my eye.”_

 

“ _Yes, I can see why that would be distracting... But now that the battle is done, can you talk to me a little?”_

 

“ _Sure,”_ thought Kiros, wiping off his katal on the dead Estharian's uniform. Laguna and Ward were doing a little victory dance behind him, making him chuckle. _“Ask away. Not gonna have much of an opportunity for long; I'm getting the doctor to up my meds as soon as we get back to town.”_

 

“ _Meds? What do you think I am?”_

 

“ _The most self-aware hallucination I've ever had,”_ thought Kiros, which made Quistis laugh at the irony.

 

“ _Where are we?”_ She asked him.

 

“ _Lost,”_ said Kiros succinctly. _“Laguna is many things, but being good at reading maps is not one of them. I think we're about thirty miles out of position.”_

 

“ _And what is this object?”_

 

“ _No idea, but the Estharians have a lot of security on it...”_

 

“Heads up!” Laguna shouted, making Quistis and Kiros turn around. More soldiers ran at them, making Quistis's brain flare with analytic electricity. Fortunately, Kiros was no slouch and ran immediately into battle. Quistis's understanding of the Galbadian army was that everyone was trained in the exact same way, but Kiros obviously had previous weapons training if he eschewed the idiot-proof machine gun (sorry Laguna) for something considerably more complicated and close-range, like the katal. However, Kiros was a bloody whirlwind of efficiency and Quistis couldn't fault him for getting up close and personal; if she had his height and reach, she'd probably do the same. Nevertheless she filed away certain movements that would translate well to the whip and heard Kiros chuckling at her.

 

The dream ended after a desperate battle and an even more desperate escape, which Quistis could not quite feel worried about; Kiros's mind was detaching from his own body too, overwhelmed by shock and pain, and as Quistis felt herself drifting away, Kiros thought at her, _“Hey... Faerie. You have a name?”_

 

“ _Yes. It's Quistis.”_

 

“ _Quistis... Maybe I'll see you around.”_

 

“ _Not for a long time,”_ she told him soothingly. They were still sharing enough headspace that she could feel his memories flickering before his eyes, and she realized that despite his greater age, she still had more combat experience. So with perfect certainty she told him, _“You're going to live through this. You're going to be okay.”_

 

“ _You swear?”_

 

“ _I swear. Take care of yourself, Kiros.”_

 

“ _Okay. Quistis.”_

 

“ _What a weird dream...”_ thought Quistis even as she fell into deeper sleep. _“Still... He_ is _going to be okay. And it's good that somebody can be okay, at least...”_

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Nothing new to report.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	38. Chapter 38

/\/\/\/\/\

7 March 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

As far as first missions went, this one was bad. Spectacularly bad. Easily in the top ten of worst first missions ever, and at the moment Squall was hard-pressed to think of any others that had ended worse without anyone actually dying. And the worst part was, the end was nowhere in sight. He, Zell, and Selphie were contracted to Rinoa _indefinitely_ , and while Squall could admit Rinoa was cute and fun, she was not a good boss. At least the failed kidnapping and failed TV station takeover (seriously, trying to plan a complex operation in 20 minutes?) had knocked her down a few pegs, though Squall didn't like seeing her mope around.

 

“I'm so hungry,” Zell groaned as they walked up to the gates of Galbadia Garden. “Do you think they've got anything to eat?”

 

“I'd take a nice bed over food right now,” said Selphie mournfully.

 

“Let's just report in to the Headmaster,” said Squall tiredly. Protocol review ran through his head as he added, “Ideally he'll ship us back to Balamb until we figure out what to do...”

 

“Balamb?” Rinoa asked, lifting her head. She had been very quiet throughout the whole trip, especially after Squall and Selphie had fallen unconscious in the forest. Of all the times for a freaking mass hallucination...

 

“We'll need to lay low for a while,” said Squall, turning to face her. “And right now, Timber is not the best place for that.”

 

“I know...” Rinoa sighed. “I guess there are worse places to hide out for a while.”

 

Any other time Zell would have bristled at the slight on his hometown, but he was too busy rubbing his growling stomach.

 

They entered their SeeD ID numbers at the automated turnstiles, Rinoa using a guest number, and trudged into the Garden. Squall asked a passing student where the Headmaster's office was, and in a few minutes they met the man himself, who looked at them impassively from behind one of the largest desks Squall had ever seen. As per their plan, Rinoa pretended to be a SeeD.

 

“More SeeDs needing a place to stay,” said Martine, studying them. “But as it turns out, I have an assignment for you in about a day's time. Are you up to the challenge?”

 

“...Yes sir,” said Squall, though he felt like crap and knew he'd probably catch crap from Rinoa. But you couldn't exactly disobey a Headmaster, whose 'choices' were often anything but.

 

“Good,” said Martine. “My Assistant Headmaster will show you where to stay... Please go on. We'll talk over dinner.”

 

“Yesss...” Zell hissed under his breath.

 

“And in the meantime, feel free to relax. All of our SeeD rooms are private and have their own bathrooms, so if you'd like to take a bath or shower before tonight, be our guest.”

 

“Whoo-hoo!” Selphie whooped. Martine's mouth quirked in a smile before he waved them off. As they approached the door, a thin man wearing the Assistant Headmaster's pin opened the door and bowed to Martine.

 

“Headmaster, SeeD Trepe would like to speak to you.”

 

“Trepe?” Zell looked at Selphie and Squall. “Instructor Trepe is here?”

 

“Must be,” said Squall with a shrug.

 

“Tell her to wait until this evening,” said Martine. Gesturing at Squall and the others, he said, “It'll be easier when everyone is all together.”

 

“Very good, Headmaster.” The Assistant Headmaster turned his attention to Squall's group. If he had any thoughts about their age, their attire, or their obvious fatigue, he kept them to himself. “Follow me, please. Welcome to Galbadia Garden. Dinner will be served in the Headmaster's office at 1900 hours. During your stay here, we request that you do not leave the SeeD dormitory wing to minimize disruption to our students. If you need anything, please feel free to page the secretarial office by pressing 1 on your in-house phone. Do you require any medical attention?”

 

“No,” said Squall, wanting the man to shut up. He was so tired.

 

“Very good.” Mercifully they walked on in silence after that, and when finally they came to the SeeD wing, the Assistant Headmaster pointed down the hallway, saying, “Rooms 1, 2, 4, and 5 are available for use. Room 3 is already occupied. Please enjoy your rest. I will be by to collect you for dinner.”

 

“Is there anywhere I can get a snack?” Zell asked, looking at the Assistant Headmaster with limpid eyes.

 

“There is a vending machine at the end of the hall. It is free with your SeeD number.”

 

“Yesss!” Zell immediately ran down the hall. Squall personally doubted it was free; they probably deducted the cost of the food from a SeeD's salary, hence needing the number. But whatever. Squall walked to the nearest room, number 5, and immediately locked himself in. There was nothing left in him to interact with people today.

 

Rinoa flinched a bit as she heard the door click and lock. She rubbed her arm, feeling stupid for all the right reasons; Squall's words outside the TV station still stung, and privately she could admit the reason they hurt was because he had a point. Passion didn't magically make plans work, no matter how hard you tried...

 

“ _...but nothing works at all if you don't try in the first place.”_ Rinoa told herself that, but it was hard to believe right now.

 

After showering, napping, and eating snacks, everyone felt a good deal more human and when dinner rolled around, even Squall felt up to facing humanity again. Much to their surprise when they entered the Headmaster's Office, a familiar figure was standing by the window and looking outside.

 

“Is that Instructor Trepe?” Zell asked, making the figure turn. “It _is_ you! What are you doing out here?”

 

“I was on a mission,” she said in a voice that was so unlike her usual warm tone that everyone took notice. “It went badly.”

 

“How badly?” Rinoa asked, realizing she'd said something tactless as all the SeeDs suddenly whipped around to look at her. “...Sorry.”

 

“Bad enough,” said Quistis, walking over to them. “My partner was captured. And he's probably dead.”

 

“Oh no...” Selphie whispered, her eyes going huge.

 

“That sucks,” said Zell with feeling. “Who was it?”

 

“Seifer,” said Quistis, her voice dead of feeling.

 

“What?” Rinoa exclaimed, her eyes going wide.

 

“Seifer?!” Squall demanded sharply, half-stepping forward.

 

“It's all of a piece with your current mission,” said Headmaster Martine, making everyone jump; they'd been so surprised to see Quistis that they'd completely overlooked him in his own office. “But please, eat first. And when you're done, SeeD Trepe will go over the mission parameters.”

 

Either Quistis had already eaten or she didn't have much of an appetite, because she just stood over everyone as they ate and watched with a cool gaze that was not unlike a snake's. Even Squall found himself sweating a bit and Zell shoveled food into his mouth at an alarming rate, eventually needing a whack on the back from Selphie as he nearly choked. When the majority of the food was polished off, Quistis picked up a tablet laptop from Headmaster Martine's desk and began to talk.

 

“Approximately three days ago, a request came from Headmaster Martine of Galbadia Garden to eliminate the Ambassador Edea, Galbadia's newest dignitary and a sorceress.”

 

“A what?” Zell exclaimed. He paled when Quistis gave him a look that Squall recognized very well from her classroom and immediately clamped his lips shut.

 

“Xu accepted the request and assigned me and Seifer to the mission. We arrived in Deling City approximately a day and a half ago to assassinate Sorceress Edea. Yesterday at 1300 hours, we attempted the assassination and failed... Due to horrible, incredibly bad, overwhelmingly inadequate information.”

 

It took a few seconds for everyone to realize that Quistis had been _rude._ Zell's mouth fell open and Selphie stared in shock. Rinoa and Squall couldn't help but look at Headmaster Martine, who coughed awkwardly. Without moving and without looking at the man, Quistis somehow managed to glare at Headmaster Martine so hard that Squall could almost see the air rippling with her wrath. It was impressive and more than a little bit frightening. When she spoke again, everyone cringed.

 

“Because of this failure, the likes of which I have never experienced or even heard of, Seifer Almasy was captured. Considering the odds against us and how there's been no announcement of a failed assassination, we can assume that Seifer Almasy is dead.”

 

Selphie clapped her hands over her mouth as Zell started, almost jumping out of his chair. Numb with horror, Rinoa looked helplessly at Squall, who had gone rigid with his hands balling in his lap, and then at Quistis, who had gone even more still. If Squall was a statue, Quistis had turned into something like the earth itself.

 

“Are you sure?” Selphie squeaked. Rinoa's heart seemed to crack.

 

“As per International Combat Specialist Regulations and SeeD Manual Section 6, Seifer could have either surrendered or been killed in the course of a failed mission,” said Quistis, her voice professionally toneless. “In any case, his SeeD status would have been discovered and Balamb Garden would have been contacted to ransom his release or regain custody of his corpse. However, there has been nothing. Therefore, we must assume he has been... Disposed of.”

 

“ _How can she say all that with such a still face?”_ Selphie wondered, remembering how sweetly she and Seifer had looked at each other in the gunboat and at the ball. Quistis had to be hurting. 

 

“ _'Disposed of?'”_ Zell tried to wrap his head around the words. That was what you did with trash... Or targets. Not people he knew. _“Seifer... Disposed of?”_

 

“So how did you get away?” Zell asked, making Quistis direct a freezing glare at him again. “I-I mean... Not that you left him or anything, I just—”

 

“Seifer made a tactical decision to continue the mission,” said Quistis, straightening glasses she was not wearing. “Even if he could not personally carry it out. He... Secured my escape. Which is why I am here to give you _real_ information about our upcoming assignment.”

 

“Which is?” Squall asked, lifting his head. He felt cold and numb inside; Seifer being so abruptly gone was like having an organ going missing. But there was still work to do.

 

Quistis spoke with absolutely no inflection. “We are to assassinate the Sorceress Edea.”

 

Everyone tensed up. Alarm bells seemed to jangle in Rinoa's head, but when she looked around she saw only attentiveness and determination come over everyone's faces. Did none of them realize what was happening? Hadn't they heard Quistis? Hadn't she just told them what had happened when a mission failed?

 

“ _Or do SeeDs just run into anything for...for orders? And money?”_

 

They were mercenaries. With a chill, Rinoa gradually realized what she'd so passionately and thoughtlessly bargained for. No wonder Squall had been so angry with her apparent unprofessionalism. She bit her lip, suddenly wishing she was back in Timber and knew of SeeD only as premier combat specialists...

 

...not suicide bombers for hire...

 

“This is a joint operation between Balamb Garden and Galbadia Garden,” said Headmaster Martine. As Quistis took a seat, he gestured at them and said, “Having a sorceress as an ambassador is clearly a power play that is meant to plunge the rest of the world into fear and bring every country under Vinzer Deling's control. The Gardens will be no exception. As we do not favor these conditions, we have decided to eliminate Sorceress Edea before she matures into a true threat. Due to the new intelligence...hard won by SeeD Trepe and Almasy...”

 

Again Quistis straightened glasses that weren't there, but this time she used just her middle finger. Unconsciously everyone in the room leaned away from her as the air around her seemed to shimmer with suppressed violence.

 

“We now know that close-quarters assassination is impossible,” said Martine, uneasily looking away from Quistis's cold blue eyes. “Therefore Galbadia Garden will assign a sniper to your team.” He held up a file, saying, “All pertinent details are in this file. The leader...?”

 

Squall unconsciously glanced at Quistis, but she had withdrawn into herself, staring ahead and saying nothing. So he got up and took the file, hoping he wasn't going to pay for it later.

 

“Irvine Kinneas...” Squall murmured as he leafed through the file. “He'll be joining us for this assignment?”

 

“He has been briefed and should be arriving shortly. The plan itself will be detailed by General Caraway once you arrive in Deling City. If you have any questions about the sorceress, ask SeeD Trepe.”

 

Squall looked warily at Quistis, who had turned into something like an ice statue. If Shiva had a human form, he was looking at it. But the outer surface of ice seemed to thaw and turn to snow, or something like it, because there was no hostility in her eyes when she looked at Squall or the other SeeDs.

 

“Ask anything you like,” she said evenly.

 

“Okay...” Squall closed the folder. “How did you know she was a sorceress?”

 

“She is capable of telekinetic manipulation,” said Quistis. Raising the bottom of her shirt, Quistis impassively pointed out a terrifyingly large web of mottled, healing bruising, saying, “When I attempted to stab her in the back of the head, she not only sensed my presence but picked me up, threw me across the room, then slammed me against the ceiling and attempted to choke me with my own weapon. Had I been carrying the Chain Whip instead of my rope dart, I would be dead.”

 

“Holy Hyne,” Zell blurted out, his eyes as round as coins. Squall unconsciously glanced at Quistis's neck, but whatever bruising she might have had there was hidden by the high collar of her battle dress...

 

...and a semi-familiar silver necklace that Squall could not immediately place.

 

“It is thus highly inadvisable to engage the Sorceress in close-quarters combat,” said Quistis, putting her shirt back down. “And I assume she will be heavily guarded after the initial attempt, hence the need for a sniper... This must be him.”

 

Squall turned to look as he heard a hissing of pneumatic doors. A tall, lanky individual with his face half-hidden by a black fedora sauntered in. He bowed politely to the assembled group before straightening.

 

“Irvine Kinneas, at your disposal,” he said in a low, musical voice. “Looking forward to working together...”

 

His voice trailed off a bit as his gaze fell on Selphie. Squall resisted the urge to facepalm as Selphie blushed and started to fiddle with the hem of her dress. He didn't need more drama to deal with, not now...

 

“You'll depart for Deling City in the morning,” said Martine, nodding at them all. “Take the opportunity to rest, restock, whatever you need. This is a mission unlike any other. Dismissed.”

 

Everyone stood and saluted, even Quistis. As they left the Headmaster's Office, Zell turned immediately to Quistis.

 

“So...” Pre-emptively he cringed. “How did Seifer get caught?”

 

Quistis sighed. Hostility visibly evaporated off her, leaving only a very tired and surprisingly young woman; never before had Squall truly realized that she was only a few months older than he was. “Let's talk in my room,” said Quistis, putting her hand to her temple. “I'm sure you have other questions too.”

 

Once in Quistis's room, everyone waited until Quistis took a seat on the mattress before finding various places to stand or sit. To Squall's surprise, Rinoa took the place closest to Quistis along the wall, her eyes intense and focused in a way that he hadn't seen before.

 

“Seifer and I arrived at the Presidential Palace in disguise,” said Quistis, hands folded in her lap and gaze somewhere off in the distance. “Our goal was the assassination of Sorceress Edea, known then to us as 'Ambassador Edea'. Like I said before, there was nothing in the intelligence file that indicated she was a sorceress. We made our way to the top floor and found her alone and unguarded. I...”

 

Quistis shut her eyes. Squall saw her hair start to shimmer a bit as she started to shake. Unconsciously Selphie took a step forward, green eyes huge with pathos.

 

“My gut told me it was wrong, but I wanted to get in and out of that place as soon as possible. I snuck up from behind and tried to kill her with a thrust to the back of the head. She caught me. And threw me to the ceiling. She started to choke me.

 

“Seifer attempted to engage the sorceress. She has the ability to... I don't know, teleport or something. She can vanish and reappear without any trace and none of his blows connected. I managed to hit her in the arm when she was distracted, but it wasn't enough. We were not prepared.

 

“I gave the order to abort, but then we heard soldiers in the hall. We ran for an escape. There... There wasn't a good way for both of us to escape in time. Seifer threw me into a tree past the wall of the Presidential Palace. And... That was it. Martine told me this morning that Seifer was arrested for attempted assassination... He never gave up the Garden, so... He was classified as a rogue agent. And then...”

 

Quistis bowed her head. Her shaking had become intense and Squall strongly suspected she was about to cry. Similar discomfort roiled in his own chest, making his breath come short. That was it? That was how Seifer was...

 

“ _You're not gonna get killed by anything that can't kill me. And I'm damn hard to kill.”_

 

Cocky. Well, things didn't always work out that way, did they? Squall wondered what he would have done in Seifer's place, if the intelligence was that bad and there was no way out... Another time, he definitely would have said 'go out fighting', but all he could think of was how Seifer had worked so hard, how Seifer was one of the most vibrantly alive people he'd ever known, and still...

 

“Man...” said Zell softly. “I didn't like the guy, but he was one of us. From the Garden, you know? This isn't right. That's not... Fair.”

 

“You never think you'll go out like that...” Selphie said softly, looking down at the ground.

 

“He must have hated it,” said Rinoa quietly, making everyone glance at her. She hugged herself when she realized she had their attention. “Oh... Well, Quistis knows. Seifer and I... Well, a year ago, we used to date.” She blinked, tears welling into her eyes. “I... I really liked him, you know? He was so confident and full of life... Every time I was with him, I felt like I could take on the world...”

 

“ _He was really the only one who told me I wasn't stupid for wanting to help Timber,”_ Rinoa remembered, feeling her chest hurt. _“The only one who wasn't Timberi himself... He believed in me. In what I could do.”_

 

Irvine shifted uncomfortably. Squall felt a little bad for him. Obviously he knew that he'd walked right into the middle of something very personal, but there was no good way for him to leave. Especially when Quistis collected herself with a deep breath and looked at him directly. Her eyes were so cool that any tears she might have had seemed to have frozen in place, but she wasn't hostile.

 

“I'm sorry,” Quistis said unexpectedly. “This must be awkward for you.”

 

“Enh, it's fine,” said Irvine. Shrugging, he said. “It's the life, you know? Personally... It sounds like he did his best and you did your best too. Thanks for coming here and letting us know what's really up.”

 

“We'll get revenge,” said Zell, making Squall look at him in surprise. As the shorter boy tightened his gloves, his face hardened with resolve and said, “No way they take out one of us just like that.”

 

“Yeah,” said Selphie, her eyes flashing. “No way.”

 

Quistis rubbed the silver necklace she now wore. Abruptly Squall realized where he'd seen it and unconsciously gasped, though no one seemed to hear him. No wonder Quistis was taking things so hard. This wasn't how SeeDs mourned a lost partner.

 

“ _Is anyone going to cry for me when I die?”_ Squall wondered. He tried not to think about that as much as possible, but with Seifer's death out in the open and uncontested, there was nothing else _to_ think about. Squall swallowed hard. _“Is anyone even going to think about me?”_

 

“I'm tired,” said Quistis, making everyone look at her. “Let's get some rest before tomorrow.”

 

“Sure,” said Selphie, getting up off the wall immediately. “We'll see you tomorrow.”

 

Squall nodded numbly. As they filed out of the room, Squall saw Rinoa sit next to Quistis on the bed.

 

“Hey,” said the younger girl softly as the door hissed shut. “It's okay. They're gone. You can let it out now.”

 

“Let what out?”

 

“Oh...” Rinoa hugged Quistis, making the older girl tense. “You know what.”

 

How dare she? How  _dare_ she? Yet Quistis gritted her teeth as tears welled into her eyes, her frozen soul cracking again. 

 

“I should have known,” Quistis whispered, shutting her eyes so tightly that they hurt. “It was wrong. We should have gotten out.”

 

“You did your best,” said Rinoa, petting her hair.

 

“I should have been with him. Maybe we—”

 

“He wanted to make sure you were safe,” said Rinoa. As Quistis thawed in a growing torrent of tears, Rinoa said, “You should have seen the way he looked at you. He loved you.”

 

“I know.” Quistis buried her face in her hands. “I...”

 

“ _Why am I only realizing the way I feel about him now? What's the point?”_

 

The forced inner reserve that she'd held onto for so long loosened and Quistis sobbed loudly and openly like she hadn't in years. It hurt so badly to cry, not just because her chest wracked and heaved, but because it was like every fear and self-hatred was dragging itself to the surface. She would always be alone. She wasn't worth living for. She was cursed to outlive everyone who might even have the slightest chance of becoming more.

 

And just as sharp and even brighter were memories and flashes of what might have been. Sickeningly normal things that she'd never thought a professional mercenary girl like her could have—going to the movies, waking up in someone's arms, being happy to be alive. And someone—Seifer—being happy being around her, telling her his secrets and comforting her when she told him hers, slowly twining their vulnerabilities together to create something far stronger than their base materials...

 

...and now the work was half-done, melted and cooling, brittle and useless. Logic said otherwise, but right now Quistis did not feel like she could ever care about someone like that again.

 

Rinoa hugged her and made soothing noises until Quistis was exhausted, and after making Quistis drink some water and take an aspirin, Rinoa left the room. Her heart was heavy but still light enough to skip a beat when she exited and saw Squall standing out in the hall, arms folded and looking somewhat... Well, strange wasn't a nice word. Pensive? Melancholy?

 

“What was that about?” Squall asked her.

 

“She and Seifer were an item,” said Rinoa, making Squall stare. “You didn't know?”

 

“No,” said Squall, shaking his head. “Up until three days ago, she was his teacher.”

 

“Yeah,” said Rinoa, her mouth quirking. “That seems like him. Going after things he's not supposed to want, you know?” She sighed. “It's pretty obvious that she didn't feel like she could be really sad around you guys, since you all don't seem to like him.”

 

“You didn't know him when he was around us,” said Squall, touching the scar on his head. Something seemed to click in Rinoa's head as she remembered the first time she'd seen Seifer in a year, several days ago. His scar had looked just about as fresh as Squall's.

 

“No. I didn't. But you know... You didn't know him when he was around me or Quistis either. So...” Rinoa scuffed her toe on the floor. “I don't know. I guess I just understand how she feels. And how much it hurts when you can't talk about the one you love.”

 

“What?”

 

“When my mother died... Hearing anything about her just made my dad so angry. I mean, I'm older now, so I know he was just grieving, but the way he grieved just cut me off. It was like he couldn't stand to look at me...”

 

Abruptly Rinoa realized what she was saying and jerked back, laughing a bit forcedly as Squall looked at her strangely.

 

“Oh, I'm fine now! I swear. It just... Oh!” She ran off down the hall, making Squall shake his head. Whatever. In any case he wanted to talk to Quistis a bit more about the mission, but it seemed like she wouldn't be up for it right now. So Squall went back to his room to read the mission file again and rest. This mission would go better than his first. It had to.

 

Because the only way it would get worse was if someone died. And Squall was not about to let that happen.

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Dramaaa. Though I actually got genuinely upset writing a section of the next chapter. I'll say what it is in the notes later.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	39. Chapter 39

/\/\/\/\/\

8 March 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

 

As the most experienced SeeD in the group, Quistis knew that she should probably be taking charge, but considering how well the last time she'd been lead had worked out, she was perfectly content letting Squall be in control of the mission. She'd already seen in classes that he had a keen mind for strategy and tactics both, whereas Quistis knew she skewed heavily in favor of the former and in a tight battle situation, they would need someone who was able to plan more on the fly...

 

...like Seifer had.

 

It hurt less today. As they took the train to Deling City, Quistis idly fingered Seifer's necklace and wondered if her breakdowns the day before had been mere stress relief. Thinking about Seifer now no longer brought up overwhelming grief or regret, just a tired sort of affection that nevertheless warmed her bones. Last night she hadn't dreamed of his mutilated body, which was nice. In all likelihood he'd faced the firing squad. Maybe there would be a body after all...

 

“ _I should have asked Martine if Cid had asked for it back,”_ Quistis realized. _“Fujin and Raijin will want to say goodbye.”_

 

Being a ward of the Garden, Seifer would probably be buried in the student cemetary at the foot of the mountains. It was a beautiful place, carefully maintained to look more like a park and planted with various flowering plants so the students resting below would always smell sweet air and be dressed with flower petals. Few enough wards had died that Seifer would be laid to rest in a full plot, probably underneath a tree. Quistis thought he might prefer a maple to an oak, if only so squirrels wouldn't be running over his grave all the time. If the superstitions were true and the ghosts of dead Garden wards stayed around their graves, Quistis wanted to make sure that Seifer would be happy in his resting place until he had company.

 

“ _If this mission ends badly, that won't be long at all.”_

 

It wasn't like her to think like this. Quistis always considered the possibility of failure in her work, but it was another thing to be forced to face it again so quickly. On the other hand... If she had the opportunity to face Sorceress Edea in open combat, with the weapon that she could control like an extension of her own body, with no need to be quiet or discreet... Quistis's hands clenched into fists. This time would be different. Very, very different.

 

General Caraway's mansion was a short distance from the train station, which Quistis noticed more than the mansion itself; Zell and Selphie, however, had clearly never seen such a large structure and gaped like yokels as they walked in. A soldier led them to a sitting room and told them the General would be with them shortly. As they waited, Quistis found herself near the window and gazing out at the Presidential Palace. She wasn't silly enough to believe in curses, but surely there was something more than coincidence about the fact that two huge losses had happened there, with her as the only survivor...

 

“ _If it turns out that we have to go inside that building again, I just might refuse. I'd be alright, but anyone who was with me...”_

 

Quistis sighed heavily. No one noticed because Rinoa huffed at the exact same time.

 

“Ugh, he's always like this,” she said, springing off the couch. “Hold on, everyone. I'm going to complain.”

 

“Complain?” Irvine said, sounding surprised. “What—”

 

“Be right back,” said Rinoa, leaving the room. At the last second she stopped and turned around, smiling brightly. “Oh, and make yourselves comfortable. This is my house.”

 

“What?!” Zell exclaimed as Rinoa disappeared.

 

“ _Between you and me, she's a rich girl who doesn't like to say it,”_ said Seifer's voice, low and warm, in Quistis's memory. She smiled unwillingly, fingering the necklace again. So this was how it was going to be, huh?

 

“ _Well... I'd rather remember nice things about him.”_

 

Heavier footsteps than Rinoa's made Quistis turn from the window and automatically her senses prickled as an older man, probably in his mid fifties, came into the room. Even without the long, precisely buttoned coat and the medals, his bearing radiated pure military. There was only one person this could be.

 

“Where's Rinoa?” Squall asked as the General entered.

 

“She is being escorted to her room,” said the man, looking at Squall with a considering, even gaze. “She does not have the training necessary for this mission and may become a burden. It's for the best that she stays out of this operation.”

 

“Wait, so you really are her dad?” Selphie asked, cocking her head.

 

“Her dad...” General Caraway mused. “I can't remember the last time she called me that... But yes, I am Rinoa's father.”

 

Zell frowned. “So hold up, the dad's a top-ranking military official and the daughter is the leader of an anti-government group?”

 

“Zell!” Selphie hissed as Quistis facepalmed; if General Caraway didn't know about Rinoa's activities, this was not the best way for him to find out. Zell wilted as he realized his error.

 

Fortunately, all General Caraway did was sigh. “Yes, it's quite the problem. But it is our problem and currently not the one at hand. Let me explain the plan.

 

“Currently, the Galbadian Government has contracted with the Sorceress Edea for her to represent them to the world at large. There will be a ceremony tonight to commemorate the event, followed by a parade. The parade will begin at the Presidential Residence, circle once around the Inner Ring, and then finish by going through the Archway in the center of the city.

 

“Two teams will be required for the successful completion of this mission. Team One is the sniper team, consisting of the Sniper and the Leader of this mission. Team Two will secure the sorceress's position.

 

“Team One...” General Caraway looked at Squall. “In case the Sniper should miss the shot, you will be the one in charge of leading the assault on the sorceress. Be careful. You cannot fail.”

 

“Don't worry about me none,” said Irvine, making the general's eyes flick over to him. “I never miss.”

 

“First time for everything,” said General Caraway in an unimpressed voice. Redirecting his attention to the group at large, he said, “Team One will infiltrate the Presidential Residence when the gates open to allow Edea's parade vehicle to exit. There is a carousel clock housed in the top of the Residence, accessible through a maintenance hatch in the balcony hallway. A sniper rifle has already been hidden in the carousel clock for your use. _Lay low until then._ The parade was almost canceled after the prior attempt on her life and after this, she will be surrounded by the entire Galbadian army. This is our only chance.”

 

When General Caraway looked around the group and saw nothing but serious faces, he seemed satisfied and continued the briefing.

 

“Team Two will be stationed in the Archway and drop the gates on Sorceress Edea as her parade vehicle passes through at exactly 2000 hours. At this time, the carousel clock will rise, carrying Team One into position. There will be no obstruction between the Sniper and the Sorceress at this time. Take the open shot and...” General Caraway's mouth quirked humorlessly. “Well. That's all. Any questions?”

 

“None,” said Squall, Quistis nodding her agreement. The General had explained things clearly and concisely, making her wonder who had planned the initial assassination: she didn't think it was this man, whose attention to detail seemed to indicate that he'd never send SeeDs into a location without knowing everything about or everything about the target. Oddly enough, Quistis could just imagine Seifer standing by and looking annoyed that every last thing was spelled out. He'd said as much to her before, even though the file Martine had provided had turned out to be woefully inadequate.

 

“Report back here at 1800 hours,” said General Caraway. “Until then, feel free to explore the city and _don't_ make trouble. If you wish to rest, you can remain here.”

 

Squall nodded. He didn't seem the type to run around, so Quistis wasn't surprised when he turned to the group and said, “Irvine and I are Team One. We need a leader for Team Two.”

 

Instantly Zell's eyes flashed, but Squall instead looked at Quistis. Quistis bit her lip. She knew it made sense because she was the oldest, she was the SeeD with the most experience...

 

“Quistis, will you do it?” Squall asked, his eyes calculating but concerned. Apparently someone had taught him to care about his teammates.

 

“Yes,” she said, nodding as her blood seemed to start vibrating with purpose. This was not going to be like the last time. This was not going to be a failure.

 

Quistis didn't give herself over to vengeance much. Really strong emotion, especially fury and aggression, were very dangerous for blue mages to experience. It gave the monsters a foothold in her conscious mind. Still... Quistis imagined getting her hands on Edea and a dark shiver of anticipation seemed to electrify her brain and spine.

 

“ _Seifer's death will mean something... Or I'll know why.”_

 

/\/\/\

 

Caraway kept putting more advanced locks on Rinoa's bedroom door to keep her inside, but as long as it had tumblers it didn't stand a chance against her clever misuse of hairpins. She was out less than a minute after the soldiers had locked her in and briefly contemplated crashing the briefing, but if Caraway was part of the plan to destroy the Sorceress, there were no doubt plans about that in his office. So Rinoa went to his office instead. He never locked it when he was at home, so she walked right in and went about rifling through his things. In the past, her mother had always scolded her and pulled her outside and Rinoa could almost hear her voice...

 

“ _Rinny, that is part of your daddy's very important work. Put that down.”_

 

“ _Sorry, Mom,”_ thought Rinoa as she opened every drawer on Caraway's desk. _“It's not playtime any more. The Sorceress is a threat and she's responsible for the death of someone I really, really cared about. I'm not letting this go for anything.”_

 

Had it really only been two days since she'd seen Seifer last? As Rinoa searched for anything that looked at all promising, she couldn't help but think of the smile he'd had, how happy he'd been to be finally wearing the uniform he'd been working towards for so long. Even with his scar he was still one of the most handsome men Rinoa had ever met and the easy confidence with which he did anything—even the reel, which hadn't been all correct—made Rinoa want to run alongside him, just to see what he was doing and where he was going. It had never really occurred to her that Seifer might die...ever. And it put a chill in her soul, because as Rinoa continued to search Caraway's desk, she realized that aside from her mother, she had never known loss.

 

And definitely not violent loss. The Forest Owls had been very lucky so far.

 

Rinoa's hand brushed a flocked velvet box in the very back of Caraway's leftmost desk drawer, and when she fished it out through a mess of pens and paperclips, she found that it was a long, slim case not unlike a display for jewelry. When she popped it open and pulled out the receipt, the richly enameled bangle inside made her gasp and her acquisitive heart flutter for the love of shiny.

 

She almost missed the distinctive trademark on the side and the faint etching of circuitry.

 

“ _Odine jewelry,”_ thought Rinoa, picking up the bangle. _“The best in magical goods. I wonder what this is for?”_

 

Figuring that Caraway wouldn't have anything deadly in his desk, Rinoa slipped the bangle on. Nothing happened, but it occurred to her that maybe nothing was supposed to. She was not who the bangle had been made for.

 

“ _It's way too pretty to be for just anyone,”_ thought Rinoa, turning the bangle over in her hands. _“And I know that man isn't seeing anybody... Hmm._

 

“ _Could it be for the Sorceress?”_

 

It would make sense. General Caraway would have ample opportunity to meet the Sorceress in an official capacity and at some point, he could present her with a gift. Sorceress puts it on, gets knocked out or otherwise incapacitated, and...

 

“ _But why isn't he using it now? Is there something wrong with it?”_

 

Rinoa looked at the receipt, which had nothing more detailed than “Bangle” and a date of when the item had been shipped and received—it had arrived this morning, to her mild surprise. Rinoa turned the bangle over in her hands a few more times before sticking it in her pocket. Better safe than sorry.

 

When she went in search of Squall and the others, they were nowhere to be found. She did, however, run into Caraway.

 

“How do you keep doing that?” He demanded, looking her up and down.

 

“Can't cage a free spirit,” she said airily. Caraway sighed heavily.

 

“Rinoa, please go back to your room and wait. This does not concern you.”

 

“I think it does,” said Rinoa, folding her arms. “You poached my SeeDs for your mission. And I want my money's worth, so I'm going along with them.”

 

“Absolutely not,” said Caraway coldly, his eyes hardening to steely gray chips. “If you are caught—”

 

“I changed my name legally a long time ago, so don't worry, there's not going to be any blowback on you,” said Rinoa, watching as Caraway turned red.

 

“I am not concerned about blowback, Rinoa,” he gritted out. “This is a delicate, high-precision operation—”

 

“And there's only five of them,” Rinoa said sharply. “They'll need help.”

 

“And what exactly do you plan to do, set your dog on the Sorceress?”

 

Rinoa felt temper roar up her face and seemingly ignite at the top of her head. No matter how good a dog Angelo was, no matter how many times Angelo had saved her life, Caraway always treated her like a joke.

 

“ _Like he treats me. The joke's on him though, because caring about Timber is not a phase. I'll never grow out of wanting the right thing. Eventually he's going to realize that he can't ignore me any more.”_

 

It wasn't worth arguing with him. She knew that, she _knew_ it, and she had wasted so much time over the years trying to argue with him or get him to change his mind. Years wasted in a delusion that she'd finally say the right thing and he'd suddenly realize what a giant asshole he was being, not just as a cog in an imperialistic machine, but to _her._

 

But it wasn't worth it any more.

 

“I'm going to my room,” said Rinoa, her voice shaking with suppressed anger. “And you don't have to bother locking me in because I don't want to see your face.”

 

Caraway sighed heavily. “Rinoa—”

 

She turned on her heel and walked briskly away. She managed to get back to her room and shut the door before the frustrated tears spilled from her eyes. From past experience, she knew that Caraway would not try to talk to her when she was this angry. And despite her telling him that he didn't need to lock the door, he'd probably do it anyway.

 

So out the window it was. Eventually. For the moment, Rinoa threw herself on her bed, grabbed her pillow, and screamed into it until her throat hurt.

 

“Rinoa?”

 

It took Rinoa a moment to register whose voice she'd heard. “I'm in here, Quistis,” she called, pushing herself up. She didn't really want to interact with people so soon after fighting with Caraway, but she was curious about the blonde girl. Obviously she had cared for Seifer a great deal...

 

...but Rinoa was not entirely sure what Seifer had seen in her. And made Quistis so captivating that he'd turn Rinoa down.

 

Rinoa took a moment to compose herself as Quistis opened the door and came in. As Quistis entered, she stopped for a moment and looked around the room, eyes widening slowly in something like alarm.

 

“I know,” said Rinoa, her mouth twisting a bit. “It's very pink. I decorated when I was 13 and never got around to updating it. What's up?”

 

“Ah... Nothing,” said Quistis. “I just heard you screaming and wondered if you were alright.”

 

“Just a fight with the old man,” sighed Rinoa. “Business as usual. So! How's the mission?”

 

Quistis's eyes turned wary. “Well enough,” said the older girl, folding her arms. She made a vague gesture with one hand as she said, “Your father seems to know what he's doing.”

 

“He does seem that way, doesn't he?” Rinoa swung herself off the bed. “Well, he's not exactly stupid. You know, if the Forest Owls help liberate Timber, I'm going to have to go up against him.”

 

“...and how do you feel about that?”

 

“Resigned,” said Rinoa promptly, making Quistis blink. “He's not going to stop and I'm not going to stop. So it's inevitable, right?”

 

“I suppose...”

 

Rinoa knew that tone of voice. Putting her hands on her hips, she said, “You probably think I'm really dumb for fighting with him like this, huh? Well, it's basically the same as fighting with your parents, just with more guns involved.”

 

“I wouldn't know,” said Quistis evenly. “I don't have parents.”

 

Rinoa winced. “...Sorry,” she said, scuffing her toe on the floor. “That was pretty tactless, wasn't it? Are all SeeDs orphans?”

 

“Many are,” said Quistis, her voice still calm and even. She didn't sound offended, but Quistis seemed like the type of person who wouldn't let butter melt in her mouth. “There aren't a lot of options for orphans who need to make their way in the world.”

 

“So... Seifer was probably an orphan too.”

 

Quistis cocked her head. “You didn't know that?”

 

“No,” said Rinoa, shaking her head. “We talked about a lot of stuff, but mostly the future. He was really... He wanted to be a SeeD so bad.”

 

“I know...” Quistis said quietly. _“Not that it helped him... Did he at least die happy? What were his last thoughts, I wonder?”_

 

Rinoa lifted her head. “So... How'd you two meet? I know you were his teacher...”

 

Quistis sighed. “It's rather complicated. The short version is that one day we looked at each other and realized that we found each other attractive.”

 

“But that's the boring version!” Rinoa felt mischief creeping up around the sides of her face. “Tell me the one that has the porn in it.”

 

“WHAT?!” Quistis exploded, turning an instant scarlet. Rinoa couldn't help but laugh as Quistis put her hands to her face, looking utterly mortified. “What? What? What are you talking about? What do you mean?”

 

“Seifer told me about your little 'side project',” said Rinoa, making Quistis clap her hands over her mouth and then spin to face the corner in utter horror. “Oh come on! I think it's cool! Most people our age are so weird about sex, but you're totally fine with it!” As Quistis hyperventilated, Rinoa came up around her side. “Did you draw any with him in it? Can I seeeee?”

 

With a little shriek, Quistis ran out of the room, face aflame. Rinoa burst out laughing and then belatedly realized that she probably shouldn't fluster a SeeD so badly before an important mission.

 

“Wait, come back!” Rinoa called, running out into the hall. She still couldn't stop from laughing, which made her sound less than sincere as she called, “Quistis! I'm sorry!”

 

Rapid footsteps down the hall made Rinoa run in that direction. She managed to corner Quistis in the east sitting room, which was not unoccupied. Zell and Selphie were there too, chatting about something in a magazine, but their conversation screeched to a halt once Quistis and Rinoa ran in.

 

“What's going on?” Zell asked warily as he looked at Quistis's bright red face and Rinoa's untarnished, unapologetic grin.

 

“Uhhh...” Rinoa giggled nervously. “Nothing. OH! I have something!” She fished around in her pocket and whipped out the Odine bangle. “Ta-dah! I found it in that man's office.”

 

“What is it?” Selphie asked, her eyes latching onto the shiny object.

 

“It's an Odine bangle,” said Rinoa, making Zell gape. “I think it's supposed to suppress the Sorceress's powers... But I don't know for sure. According to the box, it only arrived today.”

 

“It doesn't matter,” said Quistis, shaking her head. The blush was falling off her face rather rapidly, something that Rinoa found impressive. “We have a solid plan and we're sticking to it.”

 

Rinoa stuck her chin out mulishly. “But it could help!”

 

“And what exactly were you planning to do with that?” Quistis asked, gesturing at the bangle. “Were you just going to have the Sorceress put it on? Who? How? When?”

 

“That's what we're going to discuss,” said Rinoa, she thought very reasonably, but Quistis cut her off with a sharp shake of her head.

 

“There is no time,” said the older girl, her gaze hardening. “Especially now that Squall and Irvine are already standing by for their half of the plan.”

 

Their  _half?_ How much had she missed? Rinoa swallowed her apprehension.

 

“We have our own operation,” said Quistis, gesturing at herself and the other SeeDs. As one Selphie and Zell stood up, both looking varying degrees of uncomfortable as Quistis continued to dress Rinoa down. “You understand, don't you? Fighting alongside us isn't how you assert your independence with your father. This isn't a game. Team Two, move out.”

 

Rinoa stood, stunned, as the SeeDs filed out. Only too late did she manage to find her words, but no one was around to hear her.

 

“ _I know it's not a game...”_ thought Rinoa as she looked down at the bangle. _“I know it's dangerous. Seifer... When he tried to get in close to the Sorceress, she caught him and got him killed. I know... I know that if I try to get around her, I could die. But we don't know what she's capable of and any little bit, if it helps,_ should _help._

 

“ _I don't care if you don't want me around, Quistis. Squall. Any of you SeeDs. I'm putting this bangle on the Sorceress's wrist whether you support me or not. I can do that much to avenge Seifer.”_

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: I just realized this is the second-to-last chapter of this fic. Well, arc. This is almost the end of part 1 and I'm actually working on part 3 right now, but I'm wondering if part 2 should get its own fic or just stay on New Seed because it still follows game canon. Part 3 is where it goes off the rails. A lot. Hmm.

 

I actually got upset writing that short paragraph in the beginning when Quistis is thinking about Seifer's funeral arrangements, though I don't remember exactly why.

 

It was also weirdly easy for me to write the fight between Rinoa and Caraway, which is strange considering how much I detest what I consider to be pointless parent/child conflict. I guess I can see where both of them are coming from in this case, which is good but also...strange. For me.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all your fault, you called me beautiful  
> You turned me out and now I can't turn back  
> I hold my breath because you are perfect  
> But I'm running out of air and it's not fair
> 
> I would never pull the trigger  
> But I've cried wolf a thousand times  
> I wish you could feel as bad as I do  
> I have lost my mind

/\/\/\/\/\

9 March 2015 

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

 

Listening suggestion: "It's All Your Fault" by Pink

/\/\/\/\/\

 

“My dear knight, there will come a time when you must defend me. As you are now, you are merely mortal. I offer you the chance to become...more. Do you accept?”

 

“Yes, Edea.”

 

“Very good... Stay very still now.”

 

“Ah—!”

 

“Stay _very_ still. You trust me, don't you?”

 

“Of course, but—”

 

“If you really love me, my dear knight, you will stay exactly as you are.”

 

“...Yes, Edea.”

 

Seifer stood in the middle of the Sorceress's Chamber, naked and trying not to flinch as he felt sharp points on his back, along his sides, and down his stomach and arms. Hot rivulets of blood started to spill from the artistic wounds Edea drew with her claws, runes that she told him were protective and strengthening. It hurt. It really, really hurt, almost as bad as the rolling and rippling agony that came with casting Fire spells badly. But Seifer knew Edea didn't mean to hurt him; as she cut marks down his chest and legs, Seifer told himself that he needed to endure and be strong for her, as he hadn't been as a child. As Edea continued to draw blood, the pain seemed to focus his memories until it seemed like he was seven years old again and standing on a sandy shore...

 

“But _why?”_ Seifer demanded as people in white clothing took Matron's bags onto a huge ship. He wasn't going to wail and cry like those other loser babies, but it was really hard not to. 

 

“Ellone simply needs me in a way that no other child does,” said Matron, stroking Seifer's head. She loved all her children, Seifer knew that, but Seifer had never thought that she'd love one of them so much more than all the others. It wasn't fair.

 

“You won't be alone,” said Matron, kneeling in front of him. “You'll be with Cid and Squall and—”

 

“I don't want them!” Seifer raged. Matron caught his hands before he could hit her by accident, as he had done in the past; Seifer flushed guiltily and yanked his hands back. She was never angry with him when he lost control. “I want to go with you!”

 

“You are too young, Seifer. It wouldn't be safe.”

 

“I don't care! I'll learn. I'll grow up and I'll be big enough _soon_ , I just want to go with you!” 

 

Matron gave him a hug. Seifer clung to her until he felt her pulling away and then all of a sudden there were arms around his waist, pulling him off her. Seifer kicked and struggled, screaming as Matron smiled sadly and walked away onto a white ship with wings like a giant dragon.

 

“Don't leave! Matron! MA—”

 

“I'm here,” murmured the beloved voice, bringing him back to the present. “And I will never leave you again, Seifer.”

 

Gratefulness overwhelmed him, nearly making him dizzy. When Seifer looked around, it was dark and he was outside. He was standing on something like a parade float and there were people everywhere, cheering and screaming. When he looked around in confusion, the fear that gripped him eased when he saw his sorceress sitting on her throne, reigning like the queen she was. Edea favored him with a smile that soothed his confusion (seriously, how the hell had he gotten out here?) and then turned her beatific gaze upon the crowd. They went wild for her, screaming and jumping and reaching for her. Seifer adjusted his grip on Hyperion even as he smiled. Let the sycophants yammer all they wanted. She was his sorceress and he would never let anyone come close to her. She'd nearly lost her life once already before he'd known his place, and if he hadn't thrown the assassin off the balcony...

 

_A flash of sunny blonde and startled blue eyes. “Love you,” said his heart while the scent of ripe nectarines tickled his brain._

 

...things would have been very bad indeed.

 

A hideous metallic screech made Seifer look up. Time had slipped away from him again and he forced himself to focus as two massive portcullises slammed down on either side of the parade float, trapping him and his sorceress inside a gate. Electricity seemed to roar over his skin, crackling in the marks of trust and love that Edea had written all over him and filling him with strength. The semi-berserk anger he'd felt his entire life focused into a white-hot pinpoint of purpose.

 

“ _Protect Edea.”_

 

Blue light flared near his sorceress, making Seifer whirl in alarm, but instead of seeing her wounded and bleeding, he saw her standing triumphant, a large-caliber bullet disintegrating before her palm. Seifer smiled as love and pride swelled through his chest. His sorceress was magnificent. He could not shame her.

 

Approaching threat made his skin prickle and Seifer turned to see someone clambering onto the float. With a mild shock he recognized the would-be assassin, but it was like looking at people through a veil.

 

“Hey,” said Seifer, waving his gunblade mockingly at Squall. “Come to see the legend?”

 

“More like the traitor,” said Squall, holding his gunblade at the ready. “What are you doing, Seifer? You're a SeeD.”

 

Seifer chuckled at the boy's naivete. “I prefer to be called the Sorceress's Knight,” said Seifer, resting his hand on his hip. His easy posture hid the sudden churning need for violence that he felt thrumming through his veins. This fool dared? This fool in particular?

 

Well... If he didn't remember Matron, that was his problem. For a second Seifer didn't see a SeeD or even an annoying little brother who needed smacked on the head every now and then, he saw tearful little Squall crying for Sis in his yellow shirt, who always went along with fate as tamely as a little sheep...

 

...not like him.

 

“SeeD was the means to an end. _This_ has always been my dream,” said Seifer with a wolfish grin, raising his gunblade. The past was not important right now. Seifer felt his sorceress at his back like a burning flame and the runes of power rippled over his skin, making him feel like Ifrit himself was boiling inside his body. In a way, he was glad that he was facing Squall first; killing him seemed like the perfect goodbye to his childhood and more importantly, his weak old self.

 

The self that tried so hard and never got anywhere for so many years.

 

The self that cared about what other people thought of him.

 

The self that wasn't good enough to be loved from the start.

 

“ _But Matron loves me,”_ thought Seifer as he charged, slashing for Squall's face. The brunet SeeD parried just in time, but the force of the blow almost knocked him off the float. Seifer slashed at him again, a savage grin dragging his lips over his teeth. 

 

“ _Matron loves me,”_ thought Seifer as he blasted fireball after fireball at Squall's face. _“Matron needs me. I'll be her sword. I'll face her enemies. My heart won't ever waver._

 

“ _And I'll never be alone again.”_

 

/\/\/\

 

“Uhhh...”

 

“What is it?” Quistis asked Zell. They had been waiting inside the Archway for nearly an hour, Quistis staying close to the lever that would drop the iron gates around the Sorceress's vehicle. Selphie was watching the hatch to make sure there were no unwelcome visitors, while Zell was keeping a weather eye out for the parade vehicle itself.

 

“You...might wanna see this...” said Zell awkwardly, pointing out the narrow window in the archway.

 

Quistis frowned at the tone of his voice. Walking over to where he was, Quistis looked out the window in the direction of Zell's finger and found herself looking at the parade float. At once she recognized the Sorceress, though her red mask was gone and showed a timelessly pale beautiful face.

 

“That's the target,” said Quistis, looking at Zell.

 

“No, no, no. Next to her. Look.”

 

Quistis sighed but looked at the parade float again. Now that it was a bit closer, she could see that there were actually two figures on the float, the dramatic figure of Sorceress Edea herself and a tall, muscular man wearing a white...coat...with...red...crosses...on the arms...

 

“I guess he wasn't actually executed,” said Zell as Quistis gasped, taking a step back. “But what's he doing on the float?”

 

“Who?” Selphie asked, looking up from the hatch.

 

“Seifer,” said Zell, making Selphie exclaim. “It's him! I swear! Look!” He stepped back a pace to let Selphie peer out the window.

 

“No way!” Selphie half-shouted, her eyes huge. “How is he alive? And what is he doing? Is... Is he waving?”

 

“Maybe he's under mind control or something,” said Zell. “Otherwise... What's going on?”

 

Quistis pressed her hands over her mouth. She was far more unsettled on this mission than she'd ever been before, between snapping at Rinoa, being devastatingly humiliated, losing a partner and the only boyfriend she'd ever had, only to find out he wasn't actually dead? She didn't know what to do or more distractingly, what to feel. Her emotions were whirling too fast to concentrate on any one feeling...

 

So she shoved her feelings aside.

 

“This changes nothing,” she told Selphie and Zell, making them look at her in surprise. “Our plan remains the same.”

 

“But...” Selphie wrung her hands. “But what if we...”

 

“We'll worry about 'what ifs' later,” said Quistis, walking back to the lever. “Just give the signal, Zell. Selphie, make sure we're not interrupted.”

 

She didn't look behind her to see if Zell and Selphie were obeying orders. Quistis waited, her hand on the lever, and concentrated on nothing beyond hearing Zell give the signal. Time seemed to freeze in place as she focused, allowing her memories to yammer behind the thick glass wall she was putting between her working and waking mind.

 

“ _What if I have to fight him?”_

 

“ _Then I fight him.”_

 

“ _What if I have to kill him?”_

 

“ _Then I kill him. We are SeeDs. This was always a possibility. This is no different than being hired by opposing forces.”_

 

“ _But it is... What happened to him?”_

 

“ _It doesn't matter. All I have to do is drop the gate. And then...”_

 

“Instructor!” Zell shouted, making her lift her head. “Now! Now! Drop it now!”

 

Quistis yanked down on the lever as hard as she could. For a heartstopping second there was nothing, but then the Archway rumbled as hundred-foot tall portcullises slid out of place and fell toward earth, making the entire structure shake when they slammed into place. Quistis exhaled as the crowd's jubilant noises outside became panicked.

 

“Time to run,” said Quistis, making Selphie and Zell look at her in surprise. “Come on, we can't be found here.”

 

“But what if—” Selphie began, but Quistis shook her head.

 

“Our part is done. Now we have to get out. Extraction is just as important as the mission itself. Down the ladder now, go.”

 

“Uhhh...”

 

“Yes, Zell?” Quistis asked, trying not to sound sharp.

 

“I think I see Squall...” said Zell, pointing out the window again. “And... I shouldn't see Squall, right? Not unless things have gone wrong?”

 

“Irvine missed the shot?” Selphie exclaimed softly.

 

“He must have, because that's definitely Squall... And he's only supposed to come out if things go really wrong, right?” Zell looked at Quistis anxiously. “And if that's the case, shouldn't we back him up?”

 

Quistis bit her lip. Standard protocol said to get out since they had never covered this part of the plan and more failures in the field came from people filling in the blanks rather than just doing what they were told. On the other hand, Quistis's chest seemed to cave in as she remembered the crushing forces Edea could exert and how Squall was just one man...

 

...and if she could control Seifer (for she must be, why else would he be alive and standing with her), then couldn't she control Squall?

 

“ _And if that happens, her security force has effectively doubled. It will be so much harder to get rid of her in the future, and Martine and General Caraway don't seem the type to give up. We'll have to do this over and over...”_

 

“New plan,” said Quistis; she had never uttered the phrase before in her life. “Down the ladder. Our mission is to support Squall. Go.”

 

“Whoo!” Selphie threw the hatch open and climbed rapidly down, Zell following soon after. Quistis took a moment to check her junctions and reshuffle them for magic defense before going down the long, dark ladder. When she was nearly all the way down, she heard a shriek from Selphie and instantly adjusted her grip to slide the rest of the way down. As she landed with a jarring impact, Quistis whipped around and saw Zell and Selphie flattening themselves against the far wall, eyes wide with fear. The door had turned red hot.

 

“Into the sewers,” Quistis ordered even as fear chilled her insides. “We'll pop up on the other side.”

 

“But—”

 

“NOW, Zell! Go!”

 

“ _Great Hyne, even Seifer didn't make me repeat myself so often,”_ thought Quistis in exasperation as Selphie and Zell opened the maintenance hatch at the bottom of the Archway. Mentally plotting their next destination, Quistis led Selphie and Zell to the east, dodging the sewer monsters and finding another path up.

 

“How'd you know this was here?” Selphie asked as they scaled the ladder.

 

“Logic,” Quistis said shortly. There was neither time nor purpose to explain. On this side the door was not red-hot, but Quistis waited until everyone was up before hand-signaling. _Three, two, one... GO._

 

Zell exploded from the door in a blond blur, Selphie running behind. Quistis ran out after them, throwing buffs as fast as she could; for all that he fought with his fists, Zell was classified as a heavy and would get right into the face of the enemy. Selphie had more enthusiasm than sense; ideally she needed to be in the back, especially because her nunchaku had range and because she was a good para-magic user. As Quistis cast, she uncoiled her whip and held it at the ready.

 

“More guests,” she heard a woman whisper in her ear. “Especially one who has _vastly_ overstayed her welcome.”

 

Unconsciously Quistis looked at the sorceress and instead of seeing pale beauty and frightening dark raiment, there was a scarred blond man rushing her, his normally blue-green eyes as black as the night sea. Quistis's entire body crackled to life with _“Threat”._

 

Seifer skidded to a halt as Quistis whirled her whip around her in a shimmering globe of razor-edged defense and for a moment they stared at each other. The usual cliches ran through Quistis's head and died, because there was no point in exclaiming that Seifer was alive or asking him what he was doing. Very publicly, for whatever reason, he had switched sides. And Quistis knew enough of Seifer to know that he'd thrown himself into this new thing wholeheartedly. Still...

 

“ _Something's wrong,”_ she realized with a cold chill. There was something wilder about him now, uncontrolled in the worst way. It was in the way he stood, languid and yet easy for deadly action. There was a strange sort of playfulness in his too-dark eyes, like he thought this entire incident was a joke. Her heart rattled with fear.

 

“Don't do this,” Quistis pleaded softly. “Come back with us.”

 

“You don't have to fight me,” he said, looking at her with eyes that were far too dark. There was no flash of familiar green in them at all. “Switch sides. It'll be great.”

 

Quistis shook her head not just in refusal, but in sheer disbelief. Something was very wrong. “Seifer...”

 

“Quistis,” he returned, in a tone so sweet and welcoming that she nearly stepped forward him.

 

“ _Agent has been compromised,”_ whispered a tiny inner voice. Another one, even smaller but no less persistent, added, _“It's the life. This could have happened any day, being hired by opposing sides... You know it's happened. Say what's important and do your job..._

 

“ _It's not like you can do anything else.”_

 

“Seifer...” Quistis said softly even as her body slid into a battle-ready stance. “I love you too.”

 

His near-black eyes seemed to flicker for a second. Then he scoffed softly, resting Hyperion on his shoulder.

 

“You're an idiot,” he told her bluntly. “It's only been two weeks. You said it yourself, it's all lust. Isn't it?”

 

“They've still been the happiest two weeks of my life,” said Quistis honestly, seeing blue-green flash in the strange darkness of his eyes. “And I think you were pretty happy too. Seifer... Please come back.”

 

Seifer just tapped Hyperion on his shoulder, saying nothing. Quistis swallowed at the total lack of response, feeling tears prick her eyes.

 

“Please?” She whispered, hating the feeling of begging.

 

Seifer all but rolled his eyes, just like he did in class whenever he thought she said something stupid. _Stupid._

 

“ _There goes professionalism,”_ Quistis thought bitterly as tears burned in her eyes, but she couldn't afford to take her eyes off Seifer. So she let them spill down her face, taking deep breaths to steady herself as the need to stay focused warred with the want to break down and really cry. 

 

Seifer's eyes widened. Then he clenched his jaw. “Shut up,” he muttered, slinging his gunblade off his shoulder. It didn't escape either of them that he couldn't look her in the eyes anymore. “This doesn't change a thing.”

 

“I know.” And before he could get the last word in, before he could really break her heart, Quistis flicked her wrist.

 

Seifer jerked back as the ten-inch blade at the end of her barbed-wire whip whizzed past his face and whatever friendly feeling remained in him vanished like smoke as he started to fight back. But Quistis could tell that the range and the flexibility of her weapon unsettled him, and as he jumped back for space he suddenly staggered, clutching his head. Quistis saw Selphie leap back, her nunchaku flashing in the light.

 

“Are you unbrainwashed yet?” Selphie asked hopefully. Seifer snarled and swung at her.

 

“Hit him harder!” Zell shouted, dashing up into Seifer's blind spot and landing a punishing fist on his jaw. Quistis unconsciously winced as Seifer's head snapped back at an angle, and though a lesser man would have died instantly, Seifer instead whirled around and nearly cut Zell in two.

 

“Annoying...” Seifer hissed.

 

“Selphie, where's Squall?” Quistis demanded.

 

“Down,” Selphie shouted back.

 

Down? Squall was down? Quistis looked at Seifer in silent horror. It was one thing for her, a veteran SeeD and a sixty-mission survivor, to kill a fellow mercenary. But Seifer and Squall were both new in the field. There was no reason that their hearts should be so hard yet...

 

“It's okay, Rinoa's helping him!”

 

What?

 

“ _No, no, don't look. Don't be distracted. Don't wonder about how Rinoa found you and or what she's doing here. Threat. Eliminate the threat.”_

 

Fire suddenly swelled out from Seifer in a growing globe of blinding heat and light. Quistis and Selphie sprang clear but Zell vanished in the wave of flames and when they puffed away he was on the ground, slightly singed and unconscious. Quistis only registered that he was KO'd for a second before she saw Seifer charging Selphie, his gunblade held high. He swung the blade down on Selphie's head and like a flash she blocked with her nunchaku; however, a 5'2” girl with arms like reeds had no chance against a man a foot taller and probably twice her weight, who had spent his entire life learning how to put the most power into a blow. The force of Hyperion striking Selphie's Flail slammed the two halves of her weapon against her head so hard that Selphie crumpled to the ground, bleeding from the forehead and completely knocked out.

 

“You and me,” said Seifer, his eyes flicking over to Quistis. “You ready?”

 

“Are you?” Quistis replied coolly. This Seifer did not fight like the one she knew before; his swings were stronger and wilder, and there was an unconscious cruelty in his attacks that had never been there before. And the new fire-based spell he had just used wasn't one she recognized.

 

“ _Eliminate the threat,”_ ordered SeeD Trepe. _“Don't make him suffer,”_ whispered the soft, emotional part of herself. _“End it fast.”_

 

Quistis flung a Silence spell at him, which he dodged and then, somewhat predictably, he charged. Quistis danced back, keeping her distance. She had no illusions about who would win in a true close-quarters fight, but Seifer also had no idea about what she was capable of. Her whip changed direction in mid-air and slashed at his coat and arms. More than once Quistis wrapped the last third of her weapon around Hyperion and tried to yank it from his grip, but Seifer always disentangled himself with an intuitive flick that many had tried and never accomplished. When they sprang apart from their combat for the second time, Seifer looked wary.

 

Belatedly Quistis realized that her back was to the Sorceress, and what really drove the point home was the way the air suddenly seemed to chill and then crackle with power. Without sparing a look behind, Quistis threw herself to the side and narrowly missed being impaled by leg-thick spears of faintly glowing ice. Seifer took advantage of her lapse to charge with speed she hadn't known he had, and though she swung at him, he simply shrugged off the blow that laid his shin open to the bone and tackled her to the ground. Pinning her hands to the ground so she couldn't cast, Seifer grinned ferally down at her.

 

“Too bad,” he said. Leaning down over her as she struggled, he said, “You were easily the most dangerous one.”

 

The last thing Quistis saw was fire swelling out of Seifer's skin like a living thing and swallowing her whole.

 

/\/\/\

 

“They're alive,” said Edea accusingly. Seifer pushed himself to his feet, trying not to wobble on the leg that Quistis had flayed to the bone. He'd never underestimate her again. Grudgingly he had to admit that she had looked nothing short of magnificent when she had been trying to kill him, which was more of a turn-on that it should have been.

 

“They're useful,” said Seifer, looking at Edea. “This one in particular.” As he gestured at Quistis, he said, “She's close friends with the Headmaster and the Assistant Headmaster of Balamb Garden. If anyone knows their true goals, it'll be her.”

 

“Hmm. And the others?”

 

“She cares for her comrades. She'll talk.”

 

/\/\/\/\/\

 

a/n: Thus ends Part One of the 'One Day' saga. It's a working title. Give me a break. Literally, give me a break, I'm taking the next month off to hammer out Parts 3 and 4 and make sure Part 2 is good for publishing. In the meantime I'll be updating my art blog and posting discarded scenes and ficbits on the klepto-maniac0 tumblr, so follow me there if you want to keep a foot in this universe.

 

Thanks for sticking with me through this madcap ride. Thanks for reading. Thanks so, so much for enjoying and letting me know what I do well and what I can do better. I hope I'll see all of you the first week of April 2015 when I start posting Part 2, tentatively titled "New Root". Thank you again so much and see you in a month.

 

/\/\/\/\/\


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